


Imperfect Love

by jackalope212



Category: Disney - Fandom, Final Fantasy Universe, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, More Pairings to Come - Freeform, Multi, Pen Pals, Riku is a Fleuret, Slow Burn, Sora has magic, Threesome - M/M/M, original Scala ad Caelum, there are so many people to mention it hurts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-04-28
Packaged: 2019-11-18 08:28:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 36,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18117074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackalope212/pseuds/jackalope212
Summary: “You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.”– Sam KeenIn the land of Nevermore, in the royal city of Scala ad Caelum, there is a budding friendship between a prince locked away in his castle and a blind orphaned boy in the slums.  And the prince's fiery tempered guard is starting to get jealous...A Kingdom Hearts fanfiction about a slow growing love that is about looking beyond your imperfections to what truly makes you special.Updates every Sunday





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT: Went in an fixed a few errors I missed before or phrases that I didn't like until after reading this 10 times in a row.
> 
> I want to thank skyesentinels for helping me beta read this fic and being a great support in me writing this!

In the land of Nevermore, there is a great city that sits on the shore of the vast ocean like a floating fortress, just across the pond from the land of Eos.  It is regarded as a seat of power for one of the branches of the Caelum royal family. It was even in the name of the city.

Scala ad Caelum, the Stairway to Heaven.

The white and gold tiered city went so high into the sky that it seemed like it could touch the heavens.  There were even some days if when the cloud cover was low enough that the great clock tower of the royal palace vanished into the clouds, giving it an endless illusion of reaching upwards to the land of the gods.  Those fortunate enough to live in this city were treated like nobility by everyone no matter where they went, so long as you lived in the right district that is.

Within the walled city there were five districts raising up in status, connected by steep steps and gondolas.  At the top was the Royal Court, and despite being the smallest district it was still quite large due to what it contained.  The palace was at the center, home to the royal family of Fleuret, where grand balls and government meetings were held almost daily.  Around the court were several large mansions that acted as personal homes of relatives to the royal family and guest houses for special visitors, even if they are rarely used, with some smaller homes housing the most important of the staff, namely the royal aids and personal guards.  The rest of the court was filled with large gardens and miniature forests where various rare animals lived peacefully with no fear of being hunted for sport like they would on land. Most of the staff lived outside in one of the lower districts and had to commute to work every day.

The second highest district was the Grand Quarter, where only the wealthy and nobility lived in small lavish manors.  Their properties all had beautiful gardens, gold plated name plates at the guarded front door, and their own personal staff.  The streets that did not have residents instead had five-star restaurants with waiting lists going back months in advance, and expensive parlors and tailors that no man or woman outside the district – other than the royal family – could afford.  Many who lived here were either born into their wealth or were successful business owners who had so much wealth that they had others run the business for them while they collected the munny.  They also did not have to worry about transportation as there were carriages waiting for them at a moment’s notice and beautiful gondolas that raised them above the roofs and took them to and from the Royal Court all the way down to the main gate at the bottom.  If they did wish to walk for whatever reason, the brickwork streets were wide, pristine, and always lit by glowing magic lanterns.

Next came the merchants district, or the Plaza as most called it.  While it didn’t seem like much, taking up a singular ring halfway up the city, it was slightly larger than the Royal Court in the amount of space it had.  No one lived here except for the various merchants in their guildhalls. Outside the guildhalls were various stalls and businesses for those too rich for the Commons yet too poor for the Grand Quarter.  Anyone was free to come to the Plaza to shop for anything from food to clothing to random trinkets to collect dust on a shelf somewhere. Those who were lucky enough to get a warrant from the palace were even able to open their own stalls to sell their wares at any time.  Products from all over Nevermore could be found somewhere along the street, either imported from one of the other royal cities or brought in by traveling merchants from one of the free cities.  DreamDolls from Daybreak Town seemed to be all the rage at the time.

Below the Plaza was the Commons, where the working class lived.  Or to put it simply where the “plebeians” lived if you were of a higher class.  The largest district of them all, it was split up into layers with those higher up and closer to the Plaza getting better homes with better views and cleaner air, and the ones unfortunate to live near the bottom were packed together where it was darker and more rank from the sewers.  Here, many people lived in large apartments or share houses or if they could afford it in their own small homes with enough yard space to have a decent vegetable garden.  Those “rich” enough to own their own building would turn it into a home business, such as a store or restaurant, or rent out rooms to visitors like an inn.  While the Plaza was just one long road that wrapped around the city like a ring and the Grand Quarter had perfectly measured city blocks with straight colorful brickwork, in the Commons there were cobblestone roads and alleyways everywhere.  They went in all directions and spread outwards from the base of the city, connecting with other streets like an intricate spider web.  Where there weren’t any homes, there were small factories where commoners were paid by the merchants and the wealthy to produce various products such as cloth, glass, varnished wood, you name it. Anything you could imagine that they had little time to make themselves.  In the Commons, the main gate to the city could be found, stretching out over a deep canal from the city to the lands of Nevermore.

While being a commoner seemed like a mundane, even hard-knock life, at least they weren’t living in the “slums.”

The slums were the worst place to live within the city, located mostly underground with only a few areas with access to the open sky via the canal.  Located deep enough in the city canals so that no one had to see – or smell – the people or buildings and connected to other areas of the slums through the sewers, most of the smaller buildings here were shoddily built with scrap.  Many of the larger sturdier ones were packed so tightly together that you could jump from roof to roof or window to window with no worry of slipping and falling to your death. Living spaces that could accommodate one person in the Commons had to house at least 5 people down here and depending on your luck you might be able to keep your home for a few days, maybe even weeks so long as no one came and threw you out.  Or killed you. Down here gangs and criminals ran rampant, sex workers and drug dealers in the back alleys, and those brave enough to venture out to the lowest layer of the Commons would sit along the streets and beg for coin before the guards came by and threw them down the canal, hoping you died from the fall so that they didn’t have to deal with you ever again. It was a completely lawless district.

And that is where our story finally begins.

 

***

 

To put it simply, Sora was as blind as a bat.

It happened when he was a child, around 8 years old, without his parents’ supervision.  He had tried to cast a magic spell to create a light bright enough to incinerate a bag of garbage that he knew would just sit and stink up the front porch within the day.  While the magic did the job it did so a little too well. His parents in the next room heard their son scream in pain, and they came rushing in just in time to see the remains of the trash disappear as Sora rolled on the ground, gripping his head tightly as bright red burns quickly scarred his tear streaked face around his eyes.  The local medicine woman – who everyone thought was a quack and high most of the time – could not heal a magic based injury with poor man’s medicine made from malmushroom spores and daggerquill droppings. Only medicine affordable to those in the Grand Quarter could heal such damage, and even then it wasn’t guaranteed that he would get all of his eyesight back.  The only good thing she had to say was that his eyesight wasn’t completely gone, but he could no longer make out distinct shapes and colors more than an inch from his face and bright lights, particularly direct sunlight, would be too much for his overly sensitive eyes.

From that day forward, Sora was banned from ever using magic again, if his mother’s crying and his father’s beatings had anything to say about it.

Besides, he was better off keeping his gift a secret from the rest of the slums’ inhabitants, what with him being born connected to light magic, one of the rarest magic connections in all of Nevermore, maybe even the world.  From what anyone knew there were only 5 people born with such a rare connection, and they were all born into royalty. If it was known that a slum rat had that connection, the city would be in an uproar. So, Sora kept his gift a secret, his parents telling everyone that his injury was due to the boy playing too close to a fire, what with the obvious burns on his face.  He quickly learned how to get around the slums blindfolded using an old cane he found and his own hearing. He had already memorized where all the streets and alleyways connected, mapping it out like the back of his hand to the point that he could walk the streets just fine with his eyes closed. Being blind didn’t change that at all.

When he was 12, he came home to an empty shack.  That wasn’t unusual for the preteen, what with his parents constantly out scavenging for food, getting drunk or sleeping around.  It wasn’t unusual that they didn’t return the next day. Or a week later.

A month later, Sora was found in the shack by a local older boy and friend, Neku, who had not seen him in several days and had grown worried for him.  He found the boy curled up in a corner of his home, nearly starved to death.  Neku was able to confirm for the younger boy that no one had seen his parents in weeks.  Best case scenario was that they died, their bodies mixed in with the garbage outside the city.  Worst case scenario, they had abandoned him and left the city for a better life rather than looking after a blind magical child in the slums.

Sora tried to live on his own in the small shack for a few days but was quickly chased out by squatters who heard about his “tragic loss” and took advantage of the free real estate.  He was stuck wandering the tight streets, homeless and scavenging for food for days before Neku took pity on him and introduced him to his “family”, which was just a squatter gang that held a tight enough rope on one of the tallest buildings in the slums, renting rooms out to sex workers and drug users in exchange for food.  The leader, Cid, knew Sora from the area, mostly from his father who he thought was a complete asshole for treating his wife and child the way he did.  He let Sora stay in the room on the top floor, connected directly to the roof, in exchange for taking care of the bird coop on the roof housing a small flock of racer pintails, fast flying pest birds regarded as vermin in the higher districts and a food source in the slums.  They were on the small size with the body of a rat, the wings of a swift, the head of a cat, and the coloration of a gray tabby.  Sure, they looked creepy, but the flock on the roof were very sweet and tame around people.  The birds were originally kept as a last food source only to grow attached to their last owner who had died a few weeks before from overdose, leaving Cid to look for a replacement.  Upon meeting Sora, the birds took an immediate liking to him, so he became the next best candidate.  The room he was given was small, equivalent to a storage room already filled with storage boxes, a shower and toilet closet that didn’t work with no access to water except for the rainwater collector on the roof, and a makeshift stove/heater built from an old metal drum that easily kept the whole room warm in the winter.

After staying in the building for a few weeks, Sora somehow was able to start growing flowers in the old planters on the roof after Aerith – one of the sex workers and a mother figure to the younger family members – killed another batch of flowers needed for work on the street.  He gave her the flowers he grew at first for thanks in letting him keep the room, as well as for some extra food rations, then it just became a habit.

It wasn’t much, but it became a new home to Sora.  

 

===

 

“Thank you for the new batch, Sora,” Aerith said with a smile, taking the carefully wrapped brightlilies from the 16-year-old boy.  The older teen, no longer able to fit into his old shirt and shorts, now wore an old baggy shirt under a loose-fitting sweater, dirt covered baggy pants and shoes a size too big for him.  All hand-me-downs from the last person who stayed in his room, except for the dirty blindfold that hid his scarred eyes. “They are beautiful as always.”  The boy gave a smile of his own, hands on the back of his messy brown head.

“It’s the least I could do for one of my favorite caregivers,” he said with a chuckle, making the older woman blush and giggle.

“Don’t lie, little bro!” another woman, Yuffie, called out from one of the other rooms.  “We all know it’s because you don’t go killing every flower you touch like some other people we know!”  Aerith gave the other a glare, cheeks puffed out like an angry chipmunk, while others’ laughter was carried down the hallway.  Sora shook his head as he headed back towards the rooftop, one hand instinctively on the wall as he made his way up the ladder to the roof, hearing his family continue to laugh and pick on Aerith.

Once he felt the warm breeze on his face Sora removed the blindfold, blinking his pale gray eyes a couple of times when everything went briefly white before various shapes and colors came into view.  With his limited vision, he could see that the sun was almost completely set, what with the red and gold colors painting the sky visible through the canal opening.  He navigated across the roof until he reached the bird coop, already hearing the chirping and cooing of the pintails inside.  After counting fourteen distinct bird chirps, he bid them goodnight, ready to lock the coop up until the morning when a sudden screech could be heard approaching from behind.  Sora turned around and smiled brightly at the sudden visitor.

“Lazarus!” he called out happily as the solid white Nevermore hawk landed on the roof ledge, letting out a pleased trill at the boy.  Nevermore hawks were a rare distant cousin to daggerquills, kept for hunting small game and message delivery.  Normally, Nevermore hawks were darker and speckled in color, either dark brown, red, or black so they could hide from hunters and their prey in the brush before attacking, but solid white ones were highly sought after by collectors and breeders.  On the medium size with a 4-foot wingspan, they were gorgeous birds of prey covered in a mix of feathers on their wings, head – including two antennae like feathers that stood out – and back, and soft silky fur on the stomach, legs, and tail that trailed out 2 feet behind them like long flowing hair.  It was no wonder that everyone wanted one of them, unless you lived in the slums where they would be killed and eaten right away with no regards to their value.  

The story of Lazarus was interesting.  Around a year ago, Sora was locking the coop early after hearing about a sudden storm coming in from the south but was surprised to find the white feathered hawk taking refuge within the coop with the pintails.  The teen was ready to scare off the hawk, afraid it would attack the other birds.  However, they seemed on friendly enough terms, so he left them alone for the night. The next morning when it was slightly clearer, his whole family was on the roof with him, checking over the hawk with awe.  There was a bracelet on one of its legs, meaning it was a hunting bird, so it was tamed and thus had an owner.  And just like the pintails, it seemed to take a liking to Sora.

They let the hawk go after another day, once the storm had completely cleared out, making it safe for the birds to fly again.  Before he let the hawk go, Sora wanted to attach a note to its leg meant for the owner, letting them know what happened in case the owner was worried.  Since he was blind and illiterate, Aerith wrote the letter for him as he told her what to write. Once written, the letter was rolled up and tied to the hawk’s leg, then he bid it farewell and let it loose.  He thought that was the only time he would ever see the rare hawk.

However, the hawk returned a few days later, this time with a note and a small pouch attached to its leg.  It was from the owner, who had signed the letter with an intricate “R”, apologizing for the inconvenience of Lazarus as they often let the hawk out to fly freely or else it would become restless and didn’t know the storm would come through so suddenly, and that they wished to compensate for the trouble with a gift.  In the pouch was some munny, not much to someone in the Grand Quarter, heck even to someone in the upper level Commons, but to someone in the slums this could feed the entire family and then some for three whole weeks.  Sora almost felt bad taking the money as he didn’t take care of the bird thinking he would get anything out of it, but his family had fallen on hard times and were in desperate need of it.  In the end he kept it and sent another letter back thanking the owner even though he didn’t do it for monetary gain.

This happened over the course of the past year with Sora becoming pen pals with “R”, sending letters to each other through Lazarus at least one to three times a week unless the weather made it impossible for the hawk to fly safely.  Through their letters, Sora learned that “R” lived somewhere in the higher districts and rarely saw their father as he traveled a lot for business, their mother was a workaholic which caused her a lot of stress who also worried about him so much she rarely let them leave the house, they were an only child but had a lot of cousins, and they hated having music lessons as their tutor was a tyrant.  Most of the time “R” seemed more interested in talking about Sora, but the teen felt embarrassed telling someone from a higher district that he lived in the slums, so he exaggerated his stories about his status, daily life, family, and illiteracy.  Most of their letters were rather short – one liners sometimes – and other days they took up an entire page, all depending on what they decided to tell each other.  

To be honest, Sora rather enjoyed talking to “R”, if it wasn’t already obvious as the boy shook with excitement as he removed today’s letter from the messenger.  

“Thank you, Lazzy!” Sora said, pulling out a dead rat from the small crate next to the bird coop and tossed it up into the air.  The hawk caught it with a happy squawk, swallowing the meal whole as the teen quickly and carefully rushed back into the building and down two flights of stairs, almost tripping on the last step as he joined his family in their dining room.  “Aerith! I got a letter! Hurry and read it!”

“Alright, Sora, calm down,” the brunette woman said with a chuckle, putting down her spoon as she took the scroll, Sora bouncing on the heels of his feet.  Yuffie watched them with a smile as she slurped down her soup from across the table while two others, a tall dark-haired woman named Tifa and a scarred man named Leon, were a couple of feet away in the kitchen distributing soup to multiple bowls for the rest of the family once they decided to come up and eat.  Leon rolled his eyes at Sora’s enthusiasm while Tifa smiled.  Aerith unrolled the scroll and proceeded to read the letter as Sora sat down next to her, Tifa placing a bowl on the table next to him.

 

_“Sora,_

_How are you today?  Thank you for worrying over my mother’s health, I’m sure she appreciates the sentiment.  She works herself too hard but does not know the concept of “taking a break” it seems._

_While I do love her, I cannot believe that she changed violin lessons into piano lessons!  First it was the flute, then the violin, and now the piano? Sometimes I wonder if she wants me to become a one-person orchestra with how many lessons she wants me to take._

_I hope you and your family are in good health on this fine summer day after your sister got sick last time.  I do wish she is doing better now as I do not need you to also get sick with worry. If you need the funds to afford medicine, please let me know._

_Good night, my friend,_

_-R”_

 

Sora laughed at the comments “R” made in the letter, his heart swelling with happiness at their kind consideration.  Last week his sister, a tomboy named Rhyme, had caught a small fever and everyone, especially her biological brother Beat, were worried if she would ever break her fever as they could not afford the medicine to help her along.  Sora practically had Aerith fill the paper front and back last time he sent a letter to “R”, telling them about Rhyme and hoping that she would get better.  Luckily, she broke her fever yesterday, so they didn’t have to worry anymore.

“Can you write the response now?” Sora asked Aerith with a smile.  “I want to send the letter before it’s too late!”

“She will after you have finished your meal,” Tifa said as she sat down at the table along with Leon with their bowls and a plate of stale bread slices.  Sora picked up his bowl and quickly began to slurp it, burning his tongue from the heat and almost dropping it in shock.  The soup was heavily watered down with chunky leathery meat bits in it, most likely cat, and almost boiling from how hot it felt.  Leon told him off for his carelessness and he was forced to eat slower, Tifa not letting him leave the table until he finished the entire bowl and one whole slice of bread.  A few minutes later, Sora finished at the same time as Aerith.

“Hurry, hurry!” Sora ranted excitedly as he bounced by the door, waiting as Aerith took his bowl to the counter along with her own before the boy dragged her out of the room.  

“Alright, I’m coming!” she said, following him down the hallway to her room where she kept her writing supplies.  The teen was so excited that they could tell without looking how he overshot the distance from the dining room to Aerith’s room when he walked straight into the wall with a shout.  Yuffie, Tifa, and Leon watched the two of them leave silently, Yuffie occasionally taking a long slurp from her bowl.

“Do you think Aerith always writes exactly what Sora tells her to write in his letters?” she asked her brother and sister nonchalantly.  “’Cuz I bet my best lockpick set that she’s dropping hints every time.”

“Oh, she is definitely playing matchmaker,” Tifa assured her.  “That boy is so in love you can tell just by looking at him.”  Leon nodded in agreement, taking a sip of his soup to hide his smile.  

 

***

 

_Meanwhile in the royal palace…_

 

The dining hall for the royal family was not large, but the acoustics were quite amazing: you could hear the chiming and clanking of silver cutlery on ceramic plates from the very edges of the room.  The walls were painted dark red in contrast to the white and gold tile flooring, red and gold ornate pillars holding the domed ceiling up along the walls where long dark blue curtains hung, hiding the quick access doorways to the kitchen for the staff.  The only people in the room were four kitchen hands, the queen, her aid, and the prince, but they were all silent. For the moment.  The silver haired woman gave her son a disgruntled look as he played with his salad, pushing the cooked vegetables around with a bored look.

“For Shiva’s sake, Riku, eat your salad already,” she said with a huff, taking a sip of wine.  “The staff worked hard on this full-course dinner for us.  The least you could do is eat  _some_ of it.”  

Queen Aranea Highwind-Fleuret was a noblewoman born into a military family in Lucis, and if her upbringing wasn’t obvious from the way she presented herself, then it was from her attitude.  She wore a tight-fitting gray tunic and dark gray leather pants under a black and red corset and thigh high boots, her red and black gloves and cape being held by her aid while she ate with her son.

Prince Riku on the other had had taken the “casual” approach for their mother-son dinner that night.  Again.  The 17-year-old prince wore a loose-fitting long sleeved white button up shirt with the top two buttons undone, under a dark blue and green vest which hung open, and black form fitting leather pants.  He opted out of wearing shoes it seemed, his bare feet tapping the tiled floor in boredom.  His short-cropped silver hair stuck out behind his head, which was resting casually on his hand propped up on the dark hardwood table.

“Well, if they cared so much, they should know that I don’t like eggplant in my salad,” he grumbled under his breath but still loud enough for his mother to hear.  She sighed at his childish attitude.  She then snapped her fingers, her aid rushing to her side quickly.

“Yes, Your Highness?” Emma said, expression serious as she waited her orders.

“Please reiterate Riku’s schedule for tomorrow,” the queen said before she resumed her meal.  The blonde woman nodded as she began to speak, the prince’s schedule already committed to memory.

“The prince will be attending court tomorrow with your highness at 8 am sharp and should be dressed and prepared at least 2 hours in advance—” Riku grumbled at that comment but was quickly shushed by his mother, the aid continuing like nothing was said.  “—so that he has time for breakfast with your highness.  Once court is finished by noon, he will have piano lessons for 1 hour in his study, after which lunch will be served on the veranda.  After lunch, there is a brief hour-long free period before the tutor arrives, at which time he will have—”

“Can I use that free period to go to the Plaza?” Riku asked the queen, his ears perking up when he heard his opportunity.  “It’s been a while since I—”

“No, you may not.”

Her response was instantaneous, and right away everyone went silent, including Emma.  The kitchen hands shifted nervously as they watched the prince turn to glare at his mother, the queen returning it with one of her own.  You could practically feel the tension rise.

“And why, pray tell, can’t I, mother?”  The way he said that you could tell that he was pissed.

“You know very damn well why not.”  The kitchen hands flinched when the queen cursed.  That was never a good sign.

“No, I don’t fucking know!” Riku said in a raised voice that could have been a shout if pressed any more.  “Nothing has happened to me or father within the past year!”

“An aristocrat was found murdered just the other day,” the queen said in a calm but chilling voice, swishing her wine glass with a stiff hand.  “He was killed in broad daylight in the Grand Quarter.  No one saw or heard a thing, and the killer has yet to be caught or even identified.”

“That doesn’t mean they were after me to begin with!  One of his rivals could have put a hit out on him, or maybe a slum rat got to him—”

“My spies tell me that it was merely a diversion to throw us off their scent, to make us think that you and your father are not the intended targets.”  The queen took a long sip of her wine, downing it as one of the kitchen hands came to refill it.  “The moment you set foot outside the safety of the Royal Court they will be on you like a pack of sabertusks on a carcass.”

“I’ll be fine, mother!  I’ll have my guard with—”

“My answer is no and that’s final!”

When the queen shouted, Riku went silent, his fists shaking with rage.  Small black wisps began to wrap around his hands and forearms like creeping tendrils, his blue-green eyes flashing amber for just a moment.  The staff became even more worried as it seemed like the shadows in the room became more pronounced and the temperature felt a bit cooler.  Even Emma began to sweat from fear, but she refused to let it show.  The queen ignored her son’s temper tantrum and continued to eat her meal.  Eventually, Riku let out a huff and sat back in his chair, the black around his hands gone and the room returning to normal.  The staff let out a sigh of relief as one young woman approached with a cart to collect their plates for the next course.

“Any other important news?” Aranea said, gaining Emma’s attention with a snap.

“Ah, yes,” she said, regaining her composure.  “A message was sent by the King from Tenebrea.  He has arranged for the princesses to come to the palace again at the end of the month for another meeting with the prince—”

There was a sudden crash and a terrified squeak from the female staff as Riku shot out of his chair, knocking the plate out of her hand, causing it to fall and shatter on the floor.

“Riku—”

“Give the rest of my meal to your pets,  _mother,_ ” he said with a snarl, spitting out the last word with venom in his voice as he stormed out of the dining hall, his bare feet missing the broken ceramic on the ground by mere inches.  He threw open the doors leading out into the hallway with a loud echoey bang and was gone within minutes.  Aranea dropped her fork onto her plate and ran a hand down her face, letting out a sigh.

“Am I being too harsh on him?” she asked her aid, the blonde looking down at her queen with a sad frown.  “He is my only son.  I just want to protect him, but why do I feel like the bad guy?”  Emma was quiet for a moment before she spoke again, her seriousness gone.

“Permission to speak freely, Your Highness?”

“Permission granted.”

“In all honesty, you were a bit of a bitch.”  Aranea looked up at Emma with a raised brow at her statement but didn’t say anything.  “My mother was very strict, too, especially on my little sister, and she hated her for it.  I did, too, when I was her age.  The prince reminds me of myself when my mother told me I couldn’t leave the house after seven and not to date the boy who is now my fiancé.  And you know how the prince is with you bringing up the princesses: it would have sent him running whether you kept him under house arrest or not.”  The blonde woman took a deep breath as she continued.  “As someone who was once in his shoes, you are the worst human being on the planet right now, but I understand that you want what’s best for your son.”

“So, then, what should I do?” the queen asked her.  Emma gave her a small smirk, showing her cheerful side that she saved only for her highness.

“Start off small, maybe with not so many music lessons.  Have you heard him play the piano yet?”

“By the kings, yes,” Aranea said with a sigh, downing her glass of wine quickly with a large eye roll.  “That sound is most dreadful.  Maybe we should toss out the piano as well since no matter how much it’s tuned it always sounds broken when my son touches it.”  Emma chuckled as she nodded in agreement.

“And what should I tell the chef?”

“Have a maid take the rest of his meal to his room with some added extra.  Once he’s ‘cooled down’—” the queen smirked, making little air quotes. “—he’ll want to finish his dinner.”

 

===

 

Riku stormed down the long window lined hallways with a glare that could kill, any servants he came across immediately pressing themselves against the nearest wall, heads bowed so they would not make eye contact with him.  He continued to stomp and glare his way through the palace and up two flights of stairs before he made it to his room, throwing the large oak doors open and spooking the maid inside.  His bedroom suite was quite large, but smaller than his old room on the first floor, his mother having had him move up two floors after the rumors of assassins coming for his life over a year ago.  An assassin can’t scale the royal palace walls to kill the prince and not be spotted by the guards.

The walls and floor were the same as most of the rooms in the palace, dark red wood and white and gold tiles, but Riku had his suite filled with furniture and curtains that matched his favorite sky blue and bright green colors.  Upon entering the suite, the first area you see is the sitting room, three comfy couches set around a dark wood and glass coffee table in front of a glass encased fireplace – currently unlit – with a large glass television set on the wall above it.  One row of walls contained floor to ceiling windows with one being a sliding glass door leading out to a small balcony overlooking one of the many gardens in the Royal Court as well as the city.  Next to the fireplace and along the wall to the suite entrance were bookshelves containing hundreds of books, most of them for Riku’s lessons (which most of the time went untouched or forgotten) with a couple of comic books mixed in, and scattered around the shelves were various gifts and trinkets given to Riku by his father from his many trips around Nevermore and to other countries.  One space along the wall also housed a life-sized mannequin that held gold and white ceremonial armor that Riku only wore during very special occasions.  On the coffee table were various video game cases, controllers, and a video game system hooked up to the tv for the prince to play on if he got bored.

The final wall had an arched opening leading to the slightly smaller bedroom where there was a king size bed covered in large fluffy pillows and blue and green downy sheets.  The bedroom was mostly void of furniture except for the bed and a dark wood desk and matching chair where a large computer was kept.  There were two other doors in this room, one leading to a large bathroom that had a jacuzzi bath and glass encased shower both large enough to fit four people each, and the other led to a large walk in closet, containing rows of shirts, pants, jackets, and capes for different seasons and occasions.  There was additional storage for pajamas, shoes, and accessories from watches to rings to circlets made of white gold and embedded with green and blue gems.

Large fluffy rugs covered the floors everywhere, random planters housed various plants and flowers from around Nevermore, and there was also a large dog bed at the edge of the sitting room.  Fenris, Riku’s raijūcanis – a wolf-like creature with long canines, sharp claws, a short jagged crystal-like horn on its head resembling a lightning bolt, blue and white feather like fur all over its body and dark blue scaly skin on the legs, chest, and stomach – was resting in it, a thick black leather collar around its neck.  When its owner slammed the door open, the wolf perked up with a curious tilt to its head.

“Finished with dinner already, Your Highness?” a male voice sounded from one of the couches.  Riku approached the figure, finding a 20-year-old man sitting leisurely on the couch, playing a game on a gummiphone, a new invention from Disney Castle.  The man had wild fiery red hair that shot out behind him, practically defying gravity, pale skin, and bright green cat like eyes that watched the prince with amusement.  He wore the typical kingsguard attire, mandatory to all personal guards of the royal family, minus the long jacket due to how warm it'd been lately.  While the pattern on the sleeveless shirt was the same as the ones seen on the guards in Lucis, the colors were white and gold to match the city colors, and the city crest was printed on the chest over the heart.  The man also wore tight black leather pants, knee-high boots laced up the front, and black leather gloves.  “I expected you to last at least another half hour before you got bored.”

“What do you think happened, Lea?” Riku said, not expecting an answer from his bodyguard.  The maid from before, lower in rank obvious from her simple black dress with white trimming, collar, and sleeves, white stockings and shiny black shoes, stood off to the side quietly with her head down, long pink hair tied back and hanging over her shoulder with a lacy white bow.  “Leave us,” Riku said roughly, and the maid immediately bowed and left the room, closing the double doors behind her with a click.  Lea arched an eyebrow at Riku’s sour attitude.

“Y’know, you could be sweeter to the poor girl,” the redhead said, going back to his phone as Riku sat down next to him.  “Not trying to boss you around since, y’know, you  _are_ the prince—” Suddenly the gummiphone was gone from his hands, Riku tossing it to the other side of the room, clacking loudly as it hit the tiled floor.  Lea was stunned for just a moment before he turned and glared at the prince, ready to get up from the couch. “You better not have broken that! I spent 50 munny on tha _mmf!_ ”  Before he could finish complaining Riku was on top of Lea, pushing him into the couch and kissing him roughly.

It was no secret, no matter how much the boys denied it and limited their fun times to the prince’s private room, that they were lovers.  Everyone in the palace knew it, including the king and queen.

Lea gasped into the kiss as Riku deepened it by forcing his tongue inside.  This continued for a few minutes before the prince pulled back, panting heavily and eyes clouded over with lust.  Lea looked up at the prince, panting just as hard, but his eyes only held concern, the former playfulness gone.

“Shut up and let’s have sex,” Riku grunted, yanking off his vest and unbuttoning his shirt.

“Oh, so the queen brought ‘that’ up again,” Lea said as a statement, letting the prince lick and bite his exposed neck and collarbone.  Whenever the king and queen arranged for the various princesses from across Nevermore and Disney to come to the palace for “marriage parties” – when Riku had to pick one of the available princesses to become his bride – the prince would become quite angry, demanding rough sex from his lover, completely passing over any foreplay, just to spite his parents when the maid would find the prince wrecked in his bed the next morning.  They knew he wasn’t interested in marriage – or people in general until Lea came around and he realized that he only liked boys – but they still encouraged him to at least marry one of the princesses.  He knew it was all for political reasons, just like the marriage between his parents, but he couldn’t deny what his heart wanted the most.

And right now, it  _really_ wanted Lea.

“I said  _shut up,_ ” Riku growled, getting between Lea’s legs, one hand pulling up his shirt to expose his lover’s hard abs and the other trying to open the button of his pants.  Lea looked down at his hands in mild curiosity.

“And what do you think you’re doing?” he asked.  The prince gave him a look that said, ‘what do you think’, making Lea smirk.  “Oh, no you don’t! You topped last time!”

Suddenly both boys were on the floor, Lea on top this time, pinning Riku beneath him.  His eyes and hands began to heat up as he pulled his gloves off. “I hope you know, Your Highness, that even though you’re the prince I will not give in without a fight.  Got it  _memorized?_ ”  He finished it off with a deep sultry voice, which caused the prince to give a full body shudder, his body turning into jelly underneath the redhead.  Satisfied that he had gone compliant, Lea leaned forward and kissed the prince, not as roughly as before but made up for in passion.  He slipped his own tongue into the prince’s mouth while one hand played with his chest and the other massaged one of his thighs, his touches becoming hotter and hotter by the second, making Riku moan even louder and the sweat on Lea’s neck evaporate.

One of the benefits of being connected to fire magic was the ability to control your own body temperature, enough to make it fiery hot without being painful to anyone.

The room was quickly filled with the sounds of lips smacking and heavy moaning as the boys got friskier, Fenris huffing with annoyance at the humans in heat.  Their lovemaking was loud enough that they drowned out the sounds of tapping on glass until it became persistent.  After a few more minutes the tapping became more of an annoyance, until Riku gasped in realization as he pushed Lea off him, getting to his feet in a rush.

“He’s back!” he cried out as he hurried to the sliding glass door leading to the balcony where a familiar Nevermore hawk waited patiently for him.  “Welcome back, Lazarus!  A message from ‘Sora’?”

Lea groaned as he rolled his eyes, getting back onto the couch, adjusting himself slightly as his pants had become tighter for a completely different reason.  He watched Riku detach a rolled-up letter from the hawk’s leg before it flew into the room, taking rest in a large open cage next to Fenris’ bed where it slept.  Riku unrolled the letter and read it to himself, his sour expression from before turning into one of pure happiness and delight, making Lea heat up with anger.

Ever since that stupid bird returned a year ago with a letter from “Sora”, Riku’s attitude had begun to change.  After every letter he became calmer and happier, having always been prone to outbursts and sudden bouts of anger in the past, he was now treating the palace staff better and complimenting his parents more often.  He never told anyone about his secret pen pal, and he made Lea keep his secret as well, so no one in the palace knew what caused the prince to have such drastic mood swings, going from irritable one moment to beaming an hour later.  

But Lea wasn’t jealous.  Nope.

He wasn’t jealous that whenever a letter showed up while they were in the middle of getting busy in the sheets or just chatting like old friends, Riku ignored him in favor of reading “Sora’s” letter.  

He wasn’t jealous that if he tried to make him put it off writing a response until later then the prince would get annoyed with him and ignore him for the rest of the day.  

And he was most definitely not jealous that by the fifth letter, Riku started reading them with a bright smile that took Lea weeks to get one of his own when they first met.  It was a smile unlike the smirks or chuckles Riku let slip during meetings and balls, a soft warm smile that made Lea’s heart skip a beat and his face heat up without the need for magic.  

Nope, he wasn’t jealous.

“What are you looking at, Cujo?” he growled at Fenris, who he noticed was giving the redhead a look before he yawned and curled up into the bed.  He watched Riku continue to read and smile at the letter, and the bodyguard decided that now it was time for him to find out who this “Sora” really was.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected meeting between a kingsguard and a kid from the slums...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit: skyesentinels for beta reading this fanfic and being a great support and providing inspiration fodder!

It was only the fourth day, and Lea was already starting to lose hope as he made his way to the Plaza for more investigating.

After the fiasco the other day, Lea couldn’t take it anymore and decided that he needed to investigate this “Sora” fellow.  He wasn’t doing it because he was jealous, a fact he continued to deny, but because he wanted to protect the prince.  Yep, that was totally the reason.  Which was why he was not with Riku and instead taking the long route down to the market district by taking the stairs to help cool his head.  He had gone more casual today, still in his black leather pants and boots, but forgoing his kingsguard uniform for a black high collared vest over a black and red checkered sleeveless top.  He made sure to grab his kingsguard crest before he left the palace in case there were problems during his sleuthing adventure, but so far it had been fine the past few days.  And by fine he meant he’d gotten nowhere.

Now, if you think Riku approved of this plan, then you are wrong.  He couldn’t tell the prince that he was trying to find the mysterious “Sora,” because not only would Lea be forced to tell him why (because he wasn’t jealous) he was very much sure that the prince would either tell him to leave “Sora” alone or get angry at him for trying to butt into his happiness.  And he did not want the prince to hate him as it could lose him his job.  So instead, he told the prince he had been given a task by the queen, so he needed to leave him for a few days.  Riku seemed fine with that.

Then he had to get permission from the queen.  He had been hired as a personal guard shortly after rumors of the assassins came to be, and he was always intended to stay by the prince’s side to protect him.  But Lea needed an excuse to leave the prince alone and explore the city freely.  He couldn’t tell the queen the real reason why as that would break his promise to the prince.  And if the queen knew about Riku’s pen pal, she could claim that they were working for the assassins to lure Riku out and limit his ties even more to the outside world.  Riku would hate his guts if he learned that Lea ratted him out.  So, Lea came up with a little lie: he asked the queen to investigate the city for information on the assassins.  While the queen had her spies, they mostly stayed in the higher districts, but Lea was willing to go down to the Commons for his prince.  He begged her for a solid hour before she relented and gave him permission, but he had a deadline.

At the time of their conversation, the princesses of Radiant Garden, Twilight, and all of Disney were to arrive in 8 days for the “marriage party”, along with the King who was just finishing up business in Tenebrea and were to cross the sea within a few days.  During the next week, he could leave the Royal Court and investigate the city for any leads on the assassins, but he would have to cease all investigating and return to Riku’s side the day the princesses and the King arrived.  Lea accepted the terms and started investigating the very next day, leaving the palace at sunrise.

Which led up to this moment in time as Lea walked through the Grand Quarter towards the next flight of stairs leading to the Plaza.  There were various men and women out on their morning strolls, dressed to the nines, walking small fluffy dog like creatures on leashes or their children who looked like miniature versions of their parents.  It was a weekend in the middle of summer: why did the rich have to dress in such a way if they were just going to walk around the block once before returning to their own home?

While getting back on track, Lea moped in his head about his lack of information after all his investigating over the last few days.  He had mostly explored the middle and upper levels of the Commons but had learned nothing.  At one point he thought he had a solid lead, only to realize later that the person he was questioning misunderstood him and thought he was asking about Yazora, a videogame character, leading him on a day long wild goose chase.  Back to square one, he had now moved up another district to the Plaza.  There was a large import of various items from Disney the other day, meaning that nearly everyone from the Commons and even the Grand Quarter was going to be there.  It would be crowded as hell, even with the prediction of rain later, but so long as “Sora” was the type to be in on any hyped-up products that the city demanded he might just get somewhere.

 

===

 

“I don’t think this is such a good idea, Yuffie,” Rhyme said for the third time as she, her brother Beat, and Sora followed the young woman through the underground passage up to the Commons upper levels.  She was holding Sora’s hand, guiding him through the dark, damp tunnel as he had never come this way before.  Sora blinked his light gray eyes as his long bangs tickled the skin around them again.  His blindfold had gotten so old that it practically disintegrated in his hands as he tied it on the other day.  He had been meaning to get a new one but kept forgetting.  At least with the thick cloud cover he wouldn’t have to worry too much about sun blindness.

“Don’t worry your little heads over this,” Yuffie said with confidence when they stopped at a ladder leading up to a manhole nearly 30 feet up.  “After the big shipment of imports yesterday, the whole city and their mothers will be in the Plaza, too busy checking out the goods to pay attention to anything else.  This is the perfect time to pick a few purses and get us some extra munny!”

“Even if we could get into the Plaza and do as you say, won’t that mean security will be even tighter?” Sora mentioned, Beat and Rhyme nodding in agreement.

“Hey, bro.  We wouldn’t be having to go this far if _someone_ hadn’t stopped asking for ‘donations’ from a little birdie.”  

Sora flinched at the comment, knowing exactly what she meant, but he didn’t like the idea of taking munny from someone he didn’t know.  While it felt like he knew “R” on a personal level from all their written conversations, he didn’t really know them.  He didn’t even know their real name, or even their age or gender.  It just didn’t sit right with him.

“Knock it off, Yuffie,” Beat said with a glare, crossing his arms.  “You go and do what you want, but Rhyme and I only came because we’re getting Sora a new blindfold and cane with Aerith’s munny after _someone_ broke it.”  

Now Yuffie flinched at that comment as she started climbing the ladder.  Okay, they had her on that one, so she quickly shut up as they made their way upwards, Rhyme going next, then Sora, then Beat.  Soon they reached the top of the ladder where Yuffie stopped, pushing the manhole covering up just enough to get a peek.  They were in an alleyway on the fifth level of the Commons, and she could see a crowd of people walking up the nearby street towards the gate to the Plaza.

“All clear,” she said, and they quickly climbed out of the manhole and onto the street, wiping themselves down with a wet rag to get any dirt off them.  

Yuffie was wearing a black tank top and mini shorts, dark enough to conceal any dirt on them, and ankle boots that has some mud on them but not noticeable enough to draw attention.  The bangs of her short bob were kept back with a black headband.  She had a series of pouches attached to a belt on her waist, meant to hide any stolen munny.  Beat, Rhyme and Sora also dressed simply in baggy shirts, pants and shoes, although Rhyme was technically wearing shorts, but they looked like pants on her due to their size and her short height.  Beat and Rhyme also wore old black beanies with musical notes stitched into them to help pick each other out of a crowd.  Once they became more presentable, they made their way down the alley and quickly blended in with the crowd, splitting up to not draw attention to them right away.  However, Rhyme stayed with Sora, still holding his hand.

“Make sure you stay with me, Sora,” she said as they approached the Plaza gate, the brunette nodding as he held her hand tightly.

 

===

 

Within minutes, they were inside the market district and taking a single flight of stairs up to the Plaza.  Sora began to sweat with worry when the shapes and colors began to blend together into one giant mass and the chatter of the crowd got louder.  He had never been up to the Plaza before because of this reason.  Even on slow days the long singular street was always crowded, and a blind person like himself would easily get lost in the crowd, and unlike Beat and Rhyme he had nothing on him to make him stand out enough that he could be found quickly, not taking his wild brown spikes into account.

He followed Rhyme closely as she mentioned looking for a cloth stand to buy some fabric to make him a new blindfold and to fix up some of their clothes back home, Sora mostly focusing on what was ahead of them.  He squinted his gray eyes, trying to focus his sight past his bangs but it was hard, and he was starting to get a headache.

But then he caught a flash of red and his gaze turned to find the source, staring in awe.  Whoever was the owner of the vibrant red color seemed to stick out like a beacon in the dark.  Sora couldn’t help but to slow down his walking, his hand slipping from Rhyme’s, as he continued to watch the wild red dancing across the sea of colors like fire.  

He was so focused on them that he ended up walking right into one of the booths, knocking over some of the products on display with a cry of shock.

 

===

 

Lea was in the middle of asking a woman from one of the guildhalls about anyone named “Sora” when he felt like someone was watching him.  He excused himself and looked around the crowd, trying to pin the source when his eyes landed on a mass of messy brown spikes.  He stared in mild confusion as the boy about 10 feet away stared right back at him, their eyes hidden behind their bangs.  Didn’t they realize that it was rude to stare, especially if the other person caught them staring? 

It didn’t matter much longer because the boy was so engrossed with watching Lea that he ended up walking right into a booth displaying wood carved figurines of various animals, mostly bears, many ingrained with different metals and even jewels on the pricier ones.  The boy frantically fell to his knees and picked up the figurines he knocked over, dropping some multiple times as his hands got full or knocking some more off the booth when he stood up and his head hit the side, making him yelp.  Lea hid his laughter behind his hand.  The boy was helpless, and it was honestly kinda cute.  He made his way through the crowd to help the boy out of the mess he put himself in, but someone else got to him first.

“What are you doing with my carvings?!”  The boy looked up in shock, dropping one of the carvings when a short grouchy old crone with long gray hair came out from behind the booth.  “Trying to steal from me, you rat?!”

“N-no, miss, I was just picking them up—”

“Lies!” the old lady screeched as she grabbed his arm roughly, gaining the attention of many bystanders and drawing a bit of a crowd.  Lea was confused at the exchange: it was obvious that he was trying to put them back, not steal them.  “Guards!  Guards!”

The moment those words left her mouth two city guards forced their way through the crowd and to the center of the circle.  The city guards wore silvery white metal armor that covered them from head to toe, some black cloth showing at the waist, neck, and elbows, and they wore pointed helmets that concealed their face except for their mouths, allowing them to speak.  Both guards had a sword sheath attached to their backs and a long dagger on their waists.  Lea began to worry as he tried to get closer to them, but the crowd had become too much, everyone trying to see what was going on.

“What seems to be the trouble here, ma’am?” one of the guards asked the crone, who still had a strong grip on the boy’s arm who was struggling to pull away.  The guards had their hands on their daggers, ready to attack if needed.

“I caught this slum rat stealing from me!”

“No, I wasn’t stealing from you!”  The boy now had tears running down his cheeks.

“Then why do you have my carvings in your filthy hands?” the crone demanded as she let him go only to yank one of the bear carvings out of his hand, this one decorated with gold flakes and small red gems in the eye sockets, most likely rubies.  It was easily worth 100 munny.

“I-I said I was p-picking them up—”

“A likely story,” the other guard said as he kicked the boy in the stomach hard, making him cry out and fall forward, dry heaving from the force.  Several onlookers gasped while others laughed, especially the children.  Some of them even pulled out their gummiphones and started to film the scene.  Lea felt disgusted at their behavior: it was just a boy, but apparently if you were from the slums that made you less than human.  Maybe less than an animal since he had never seen anyone kick even a dog and take enjoyment out of it.

The guard got down to the ground next to the boy, one hand forcing the boy’s face into the ground from the back of his head and the other stretching out his arm, exposing the wrist.  The other pulled out his dagger.

“You know the punishment for thievery,” he said as he too kneeled down.  The boy started to gasp heavily, still winded from the kick, crying heavily.  The crowd began to cheer as the guard raised his blade up high…

“Hold your horses there, buddy!” Lea said, grabbing the guard’s hand and pulled the dagger from his grip.  The guards looked up at the redhead in shock, the rest of the crowd finally taking notice of him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the guard demanded as he stood up, obviously angry from the act, but Lea just gave him a smirk.  He subtly pulled back the edge of his vest, revealing his kingsguard crest pinned to his chest.  The guard stuttered and stood up slightly straighter since the kingsguard were of a higher rank than the city guard.

“I was out on a mission sent by the queen, looking into some dangerous people rumored to be in the city, but I see you’re harassing my informant,” Lea said confidently, twirling the dagger in his hand a couple of times.  The guards looked at each other in confusion while the boy stared up at him in awe.  “I was having him check out the Plaza, looking for any peddlers dealing in bootleg products.  Good job finding one of them, by the way!”  The boy seemed ready to object or deny it but caught himself quickly and just nodded in agreement.  Smart kid.

“What do you mean?” the other guard demanded as he stood up, letting the boy go.  Lea let out a subtle sigh of relief as he continued with his story, the crowd silent as they were now more interested in this new development.

“Isn’t it obvious?”  He picked up one of the wood carvings from the table, this one with what looked like emeralds and silver embedded into it, the crone protesting in the background.  “Look at the state of the seller and her stand.  Someone like her might be a pretty amazing wood carver, but not the kind to get her hands on gold flakes or cut, polished gemstones.  So if you look at the jewels in these carvings…”  He held up the carving to the face of one of the guards, making him pull back slightly.  “These are either fake or purchased with illicit funds.  If my informant was examining them as closely as he was, of course the old bat would freak out and accuse him of theft.”

“I purchased those from a legal source!” the crone cried out, stomping her foot.  The guards and Lea turned to look at her.  The guards were still confused about the situation, not fully believing him, so Lea had to think faster.

“C’mon, lady!  Just look at yourself,” Lea indicated her disheveled appearance, messy gray hair and patchwork dress, making her fume with anger.  “You look – and smell – like you came from the slums yourself!”  Some people from the crowd chuckled at that and many even agreed with him.  “For all we know you’ve been selling drugs or women to get the funds needed to buy all these gems for your trinkets.  Maybe even organs or children.”  At that everyone tensed, even the guards.  Prostitution wasn’t too much of a crime in the city so long as the act was done within one of the brothels in the Commons, and drug dealing was a crime equal to several months of jail time or exile from the city, but black-market organ deals and child slavery were far more heinous.  No one would even imply such criminal activity, even as a joke, unless they had valid enough reason to do so.  Lea returned the guard’s dagger as he turned to the crone, his partner crossing his arms. 

“Do his allegations hold any validity, ma’am?” the guard demanded.  The crone stuttered where she stood, a cold sweat breaking out on her face, making Lea raise a brow.  If his lie turned out to be true, then his half-assed deduction skills were pretty dope. 

“We need you to come with us,” the guard continued upon seeing her reaction, taking her arm as the other guard took the carving Lea had to examine a bit more closely.  The crone kept trying to protest, but her cries were drowned out by the crowd, who had quickly grown bored of the situation and moved on, the boy all but forgotten by everyone except for Lea.  He picked the boy up by his arms and set him on his feet.

“We better get out of here before they stop falling for my bluff,” he whispered to him before he wrapped an arm around his shoulders and guided him away from the guards and out of the Plaza.

 

===

 

Sometime later, Lea and the boy stopped walking when they reached the bottom of the third level of the Commons.  There were less people here and the guards rarely came down this far unless they were escorting someone in or out of the city.

“We should be safe now,” Lea said, taking a break as he finally let the boy go, who turned to him silently.  The redhead finally had the chance to see what the boy looked like completely. 

His wild brown spikes stood out the most, and even though Lea could see some dirt and grease in them from not being washed very often they still looked soft to the touch, his bangs covering the top half of his face.  His baggy shirt, once solid white with some kind of pattern from a missing decal on it now dirty brown and covered in stains, seemed several sizes too big for him, the same for his cargo shorts which were kept up with a belt and black sneakers.  Lea could also see that the boy was severely underweight: he could tell from his very skinny wrists and ankles, and he felt how bony his shoulders and back were through his shirt from when he had his arm around him before.  It was obvious that this boy was from the slums, which left it more as a shock to Lea that the boy hadn’t use his chance earlier to steal from the crone when he bumped into her booth.  The boy continued to stand there silently, making the situation more awkward by the second, until he eventually spoke.

“Why did you save me back there?”  The boy’s voice was soft and a bit raspy, making Lea wonder just how old he was.  “I’m just a s-slum rat—”

“I saw the whole thing,” Lea interrupted him, not wanting the boy to continue, making him shut his mouth.  “I caught you staring at me so I couldn’t help but watch you when you walked right into that booth.”  Lea smirked when the boy groaned in embarrassment, hiding his face behind his hands.  “I knew you weren’t a thief, so I couldn’t just stand there and watch someone get wrongfully punished for something they didn’t do.”  The boy looked up at him and gave him a warm smile, one that reminded Lea of the ones Riku often gave him, making his cheeks heat up slightly.

“Thank you so much,” the boy said, his tanned ashen skin turning just slightly pink on his cheeks.  “While I appreciate your help, I really need to go look for my brother and sisters, so bye!”  The boy waved and turned to head towards the lower levels.

Only to walk right into a brick wall with a shout.

Lea stared in stunned silence as the boy pulled back, confused and a bit embarrassed.  He turned to try walking away again, but this time it was straight into a lamp post where he bumped his head.  Was the boy still in shock from before and just not paying attention?  Lea grew worried as he followed the boy, this time to see him make it a few more feet before he tripped over a box on the side of the street.  Something didn’t feel right about this, so he quickly approached him.  He then saw where he was going next and felt his blood go cold.

“Watch out!” he shouted, grabbing the boy’s arm and pulling him back against his chest, making the boy gasp at the sudden closeness.  In the Commons, there was no wall to separate the different levels from each other, so the boy was just a foot away from walking off the edge of the third level to fall 40 feet to the second level.  To a normal person, the fall would break many bones in the body or maybe kill them, but for the boy he would have definitely died.  Lea pulled the boy away from the edge by a couple of yards and pushed him against the side of a building.  “The hell is wrong with you, kid?  Got a death wish or something?”

“I-I’m sorry,” the boy stuttered in shock, his bangs hiding his darting eyes.  Lea rolled his own eyes and grabbed the boy’s face, making him gasp again, gripping his wrists tightly when he started moving his bangs around.

“Maybe if you just cut your bangs you would be able to see—”

Lea froze in shock when he finally saw the boy’s eyes, his heart dropping at the sight.

The scars around his eyes looked like burn marks, but instead of being wrinkled and red these looked smooth and pale, the skin going whiter the closer they got to the eyes.  The eyes themselves looked fine with no visible damage to them.  The iris was silvery gray in color, and the pupil was a darker gray that turned almost white at the center.

The boy let out a pitiful whimper as tears began to fall down his cheeks.  Lea let him go with a small gasped apology, the boy hugging himself in a way that he wanted to disappear.  Lea looked around and gently guided him over to a crate to sit on.  When he did, he pulled his knees to his chest and sat in the fetal position, Lea taking the spot next to him.  He watched the boy cry softly into his arms before he started to rub his back, making him jump slightly from the contact but he didn’t push him away.

“How did it happen?” Lea asked him, watching the boy calmly.  After a moment the boy lifted his head and turned to him but not focusing on him.

“I-it was when I was little,” he sniffled.  “I was stupid and m-messed around with m – fire…  Cuz I c-couldn’t afford the m-medicine it never healed properly…”  Lea nodded but wasn’t fully convinced.  Being connected to fire magic he had seen his fair share of burn scars and even had a few of his own.  The scars on the boy’s face were different, almost silky smooth with faint white lines along the edges, nothing like his own.  There was more to his story, but he wouldn’t press him in the state he was in right now.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Lea said, feeling bad for the boy.  To be blind on top of being accused of theft…  “But how did you notice me in the crowd?”

“I can s-still see some shapes and c-colors, but not very well…  Y-your hair just s-stood out…” the boy mumbled into his arms, one small finger peeking out and pointing at his wild red hair.

“Oh,” Lea sighed, a bit embarrassed as he rubbed his hair in an attempt to tame it, dropping the subject quickly.  They sat there in relative silence, only the boy’s sniffles being heard at the time.  But then there was a sudden low rumble that came from the boy.  Lea looked down at him, seeing his ears turn red with embarrassment, but he didn’t bring it up, only mumbling a small “sorry.”  “When was the last time you ate something?” Lea asked him, now worried about him for a different reason.

“Um… does it matter?” the boy asked with a half-assed smile.  Lea glared at his response.  He dug around in his pockets, looking for any munny he had on him.  He hadn’t thought of getting anything to eat while he was out since he could get free meals in the palace and he had a big breakfast before heading out, but he must have something on him.  He eventually found some munny, but it wasn’t much.  After counting it out, he stood up with a smile, taking one of the boy’s hands and pulling him up too.

“Wanna get some ice cream?”

 

===

 

Sora stood in shock next to the man as he ordered them two sea salt ice cream pops from the peddler at the base of the fourth level.  When his brain finally caught up to what was going on, a stick of ice cream was being handed to him.

“I-I can’t accept this!” he said suddenly, the man looking confused and maybe a bit hurt.

“Well, I only have enough munny on me to get us ice cream, so if you want something different--”

“That’s not what I mean!  I don’t want to take something you paid for for nothing!”

The man just stood there, holding the two ice creams for a moment while Sora watched.  “But I’m giving it to you.  What’s wrong with that?”

“I-I just don’t like taking handouts,” he mumbled.  The man was quiet for a moment, thinking over his response.

“So, then, if I have you do something for me in exchange for the ice cream, will you take it?”

Sora looked up at the man in shock, who was smiling at him again.  “I guess…?”

“Then let’s do that,” he said as he handed him the ice cream, the brunette finally taking it.  “Once you finish your ice cream I’ll tell you what you can do for me.  Sound fair?”

“Yeah, okay,” Sora mumbled, still a bit confused.  But he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the blue ice cream pop in front of him, so before he could think too much more about it, he gave it a big lick.  The moment the salty sweet ice cream touched his tongue, his eyes lit up with delight.  He’d never had the ice cream before and was always jealous of seeing the children in the Commons eating it during the summer when it was sweltering outside.  Now that he could finally taste it himself, he knew why all the children in the city loved it.

“I guess you like it then?” the man asked him with a smirk, taking a small bite out of his own pop.  Sora nodded enthusiastically as he took another long lick.  He wished he could cherish this forever.  “Let’s go find a place to sit for now.”

“Okay,” Sora said with a smile, letting the man take his free hand as he guided him.

 

===

 

“You’re not from the city?” the boy asked Lea with wide eyes, halfway through his ice cream.  After the redhead found a bench to sit on in a place that gave them a nice private view of the city, they remained quiet for a while, just enjoying their ice cream, until the boy started asking about him.  Lea had finished his ice cream not long ago and was playing with his stick while he waited for the boy to finish his, who was taking his time while he ate.  Poor kid must have never had sea salt ice cream before, which was a real crime.  He needed to take him to some of the nicer restaurants around the Commons sometime.

“Nope, I moved here about 2 years ago to live with my older brother, who came here nearly 5 years before I did,” he said, chewing on his stick, savoring the faint ice cream flavor still on it.  “Started working in the palace a few months later, and I’ve been employed by the royal family ever since.”  The boy’s eyes twinkled in awe at that, making Lea smirk.

“What about your brother?” the boy asked as he got closer to finishing his small meal.  “What does he do?”

“He works for the royal guard as a lieutenant, but they are nothing like the city guard,” Lea added when he saw the boy look upset at the mention of the guards.  “The city guards are paid through the taxes of the citizens, which means their pay sucks - since the rich don’t pay for theirs or they are constantly late - so they take it out on the populace.  The royal guard works directly under the royal family like I do, escorting them around the country, guarding the Royal Court, stuff like that.  The difference between him and me is that I rank higher than he does.”

“That’s so cool!” the boy said with a smile, taking a big bite out of his ice cream.  Next thing he knew there was only a little left on the stick, making him pout.

“Sorry that I only had enough to get you just that,” Lea said with a frown as he got up to throw his stick into the nearby garbage bin.  “It would have been better if I took you someplace to get some real food…”

“No, this was more than enough!” the boy said, his smile returning as he licked the remains of the ice cream.  “When I was little, before I lost my sight, I used to be jealous of seeing the children in the Commons eating these, even some of the kids in the slums who managed to get enough munny and were not caught by the guards.”  As the boy spoke, Lea sat back down next to him, watching him with a sad smile.  “I never thought that there would come a day I could finally try one…”

“What about your parents?” Lea asked him as the boy sucked on the ice cream stick like there was still some on it.  “I mean, ice cream isn’t too expensive to get.  Can’t they get you the munny to get you some?”

“I don’t have parents,” he said with a frown, making Lea stare in shock.  “They just disappeared one day.  I haven’t seen or heard from them in years.”

Lea didn’t know what to say to that so he remained silent, clenching and unclenching his fists a few times.  But then the frown was replaced with a smile as he looked up at the redhead.

“But I have a new family now, and they’re all really nice, even though they are strict.  They gave me my own room with a roof, I have food and water every day, and I even have my own mini garden that I grow flowers in.  It’s not much, but it’s enough for me.”  Lea couldn’t hold back the smile he gave the boy as he stood up, stretching his skinny arms in front of him with a groan.

“So!” the boy gasped happily.  “I finished my ice cream!  What can I do for you in exchange?”

“Oh, right!” Lea chuckled, almost forgetting about their deal.  He was ready to just tell him it was paid for, but he got the feeling that he wouldn’t let him leave without returning the favor in some form or manner.  “Well, there is something you might be able to help me out with.  I’m looking for someone in the city, and since you’ve lived here your whole life you might know more people here than I do.”

“I can do that, maybe,” the boy said with a smile, making Lea smile as well.  “Who are you looking for?  If I don’t know them, I can ask my family when they find me.”

“Great!  I’m looking for someone named ‘Sora.’”

 

===

 

Sora nearly choked when the man said his name, his skin going clammy as the seconds ticked by.  A faint rumble could be heard in the distance, an early sign of a midsummer shower.

“W-who?” he asked the man again, hoping he just misunderstood him.

“‘Sora,’” the man repeated, making him gulp as he held back a squeak.  “I can’t get into details on why I’m looking for them, just that it’s important.  If you know who they are or someone who might know then that would help me out a lot…  You okay?”

“Y-yeah,” he mumbled, shifting his feet nervously.  He was tempted to just bolt, giving him a fake answer, but with his bad eyesight and in an unfamiliar area he would just get himself hurt like before.  But what was he supposed to say or do in this situation?  A kingsguard, one of the private knights of the royal family, was looking for him!  Why?  He’d never even met anyone from the royal family, so why would they care about him?  Or was it just the man himself looking for him and it had nothing to do with the royal family?  Still, why was he looking for him?

“Did you hear me?”

“What?” Sora gasped, looking back up at the man who had a frown on his face that turned into a smirk.

“Get your head stuck in the clouds or something?” he chuckled.  “I was just saying that I never caught your name before.  What was it again?”

“O-oh, yeah…  Um, m-my name is--”

“SORA?!”

Sora jumped when he heard a female voice shout his name from the main street, as did the man who looked up in confusion.  The younger boy turned around in worry, now facing where the main street was located.  A few yards away he could see three figures of different heights moving around, most likely Yuffie, Beat and Rhyme looking for him.

“SORA!!!” he heard Rhyme call his name, making him flinch again.  She must have noticed him as the figures started heading their way.  He turned back to face the man, wanting to explain everything to him, but he froze on the spot.  With his limited vision he could see the man looking down at him but he wasn’t saying anything.

“There you are, bro!” Beat shouted, Sora turning back around when he heard three distinct footsteps approach him.  When he faced them again Rhyme got to him first, giving him a tight hug.

“Rhyme, guys…” he said, unsure what to do at first before he slowly wrapped his arms around his sister.

“We were so worried about you,” Rhyme sniffled into his chest, her voice heavy.  She must have been crying before they found him.  “I panicked when I realized that you weren’t with me, and then the crowd got so thick that I couldn’t get around to find you, and--”

“It’s okay,” he said with a forced smile, patting the small girl on her head.  “I did get lost, but I eventually got out.”

“We heard that there was a commotion,” Yuffie said with a frown, crossing her arms.  “Some ‘ _slum rat_ ’ was caught stealing from a booth, but then some tall redheaded guy said the lady accusing him was selling kids on the black market or something.  Was that you?”

Sora’s silence was enough confirmation for the three of them, all of them sighing heavily as Rhyme hugged him even tighter, then Yuffie and even Beat had their arms around him.

“I’m okay, guys!  Really!” Sora said with a small chuckle, blushing slightly from the affection.  “That man saved me.  He got me out of the Plaza and away from the guards.  He’s not so bad.”

“By the way, where’d he go?” Beat asked as he pulled back from the group hug, looking around the small street.  Sora was confused as he turned around, only to see that the man was no longer with them.  Did he leave during the group hug?  But wasn’t he looking for him?

The only proof Sora had that their encounter was real was the ice cream stick still in his hand.

 

===

 

At that time, Lea had run through the Commons and the Plaza, and was now halfway through the Grand Quarter before he stopped, gasping for air as he sat down on a park bench to catch his breath.  There was another faint rumble and he felt a couple of rain drops land on his exposed arms.  Pretty soon a light shower was going to start, and he would get wet unless he got back to the palace or took shelter someplace.

But he couldn’t move from the bench.  He was too in shock.

That boy…

Riku’s precious pen pal “Sora” was a _slum rat_?

Lea felt sick at that thought, but for a different reason entirely.  “Slum rat” was a derogatory term everyone in the city used to describe those who lived in the slums, even the royal family.  If you were born into the slums or you went bankrupt and couldn’t even afford to live in the Commons, then you were a “rat.”  He had heard the king and queen use that word before on many occasions, as well as the staff.  Hell, he’d even heard Riku say it a few times, making his heart clench in sadness.  That boy - Sora - was such a sweet and selfless kid, nothing like the slum residents everyone described as being vile, criminal, disgusting…

Lea groaned loudly as he rubbed his face with his hands.  The reason he had started this whole adventure was to find “Sora,” see what made him so special that he took all of Riku’s attention, and see if he was really worth it or scare him off, threaten him with jail time or exile if he contacted the prince ever again.

But maybe this Sora wasn’t the “Sora” Riku knew through his letters.  He could only hope for the time being.

 

===

 

_Later that night in the palace…_

“So I heard something interesting happened in the Plaza today,” Riku said, not taking his eyes off the page of his book, some classical novel he had to read for his literature lessons but he was only skimming through it.  Since it was later in the evening, the prince had already changed for bed, wearing a simple gray shirt that had “Don’t talk to me, I’m sleepy” printed on it and black shorts that went halfway down his thighs, showing off his long pale legs.  He was laying across one of the couches in his sitting room, legs propped up across Lea’s lap, who was playing a video game on the tv.

The redhead only “hm”ed in response to the statement, too focused on defeating the monster in the game.  He had also changed when he returned from being out all day, now wearing a red tank top and long black and red checkered shorts that went just past his knees.  Riku continued to read, flipping the page as he kept talking.

“According to one of the maids, there was a scuffle involving two guards, one of the booth owners, a slum rat, and a guy with crazy red hair...”  When the word “slum rat” was said Lea messed up, causing his character to die and a “game over” to flash across the screen.  When he didn’t press restart, Riku put down his book and looked at him in amused confusion.  “Know anything about that?”  Lea let out a long sigh as he grabbed the remote and turned off the tv.

“It’s not a big deal,” the redhead said as he massaged the prince’s calves.  “While I was in the Plaza working for the queen, I saw some boy walk into one of the booths on accident and knock over some of her merchandise.  She immediately accused him of stealing from her, and the guards were ready to cut off his hands, even though he was innocent.”

“How do you know that?” Riku asked him curiously as he returned to his book.  “He was just some kid from the slums.  For all you know he could have done that on purpose--ouch!”  Riku suddenly yanked one of his legs back when there was a sudden flash of heat from Lea’s hand.  He stared at him in slight worry as his bright green eyes narrowed.  “What’s wrong with you?”

“What if that had been me accused of theft?” Lea asked the prince, turning to give him an intense look.  Riku’s eyes went a bit wide but he didn’t say anything.  “I never told you about where I came from, right?”  Riku nodded.  “Well, I was that kid at one point in time.  The city I came from, the part I lived in, it was like the slums are here, fraught with crime and the homeless.  Before I left that awful place, I got the munny I needed to buy myself one day’s worth of food and make it last a week through stealing or working dirty jobs, the kind that would put me in jail here.  And my mom?  She was a whore, selling her body to any john interested for little payment, and she had to work a lot because my abusive drunkard of a father would take her earnings and use it to buy more booze or drugs.  And if she didn’t make enough, he beat her so bad she couldn’t walk.  And if she wasn’t there, he would beat me.  If I had been accused of stealing, like that boy earlier, would you have defended me in that situation, knowing about my past?”

“Of course I would!” Riku said in a raised voice.  After a moment, he realized what was said and looked down at his lap in shame.  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, sitting up slightly on the couch, his book closed and forgotten.  “If I had known, I wouldn’t have been so insensitive…”  That was when he heard Lea snort slightly, holding back a smile.  When Riku realized what was going on, he glared at his bodyguard and threw one of the throw pillows on the couch at him, making him laugh.  “Asshole!  You made all that up!”

“Okay, sorry about that,” he said, still giggling as the prince kicked him a couple of times in the side, but when he continued he was serious again.  “So maybe I lied about the whole thing, maybe it’s all true.  But you don’t know that.  You don’t know if that boy was just a scapegoat or if he really was originally there to steal, but doesn’t the saying go ‘innocent until proven guilty?’  What you just said is the same as everyone else in the Plaza: just going with the flow, agreeing on the words of one person who saw a kid in rags touching her wares.  Everyone automatically assumed that he was in the wrong, simply because of the status he grew up with.”  Riku calmed down slightly, moving around so he was sitting on the couch next to Lea, leaning against his shoulder.

“Alright, I’ll give you that,” he said as he put his book on the coffee table.  “So is everything else I heard from the maids true as well?  Did you tell the guards the old lady was selling fake goods so there was no public behanding?”

“I knew the kid was innocent based on my own observation, so I couldn’t let him lose his hands just because some crazy old crone thought he had sticky fingers,” Lea said with a smile, making the prince chuckle.  “We got separated after leaving the Plaza, so I don’t know what happened to him after that.”

“Well, I’m proud of you.”

The room went silent, peaceful for just a moment, until Riku climbed onto Lea’s lap, kissing him on the cheek.

“Whoa there, Your Highness!” Lea said with a chuckle, wrapping his arms around the silver haired boy’s waist when he started kissing him on the lips.  “What’s the special occasion?”

“Well, we were interrupted the other day,” the prince said with a smile that made Lea’s cheeks warm up slightly.  “Thought we could continue where we left off.”

He raised a brow when he felt Lea suddenly go hot.  Before he knew it, Lea had thrown him over his shoulder and was carrying him to the bedroom, both boys laughing the whole way.

 

===

 

_Around midnight…_

Lea sat up in the kingsize bed, the room completely dark except for the light of the moon coming in through the windows, the storm having passed through while they were busy.  He looked back and saw that Riku was fast asleep, hugging one of the large pillows when the redhead pulled away from his hold.  His silver mop was a complete mess and his neck and back were covered in hickies.  He wouldn't be waking up for a while.

Lea climbed out of the bed and slipped on the shorts he had on earlier, then quietly walked over to the prince’s desk where he opened one of the drawers.  He shuffled through the drawer for a moment before he pulled out a stack of papers, then moved to the sitting room where there was more moonlight to read.  He spread them out on the coffee table and looked them over.

These were all letters from “Sora” from the last 6 weeks, a good fifteen or so letters.  Riku had never read the letters out loud except for the first couple, then he would only read them to himself so Lea didn’t know the contents of the last few messages.  If the Sora he met earlier was the same “Sora” in contact with Riku, then there should be some clues to it on the letters he sent.  He flipped through them, looking for anything that stood out.  Then he came across one letter that was pretty long, covering the front side and half of the back.  He looked over it until he came across one part that caught his eye.

 

_“My sister, Rhyme, caught the fever the other day.  We hope that she breaks her temperature soon, since we can’t afford the medicine to make her better…”_

 

Lea nearly dropped the letter when he read that.  He recognized that name from earlier, when those two girls and boy found them.  Sora had called the smaller one “Rhyme,” just as uncommon of a name as “Sora.”  This only confirmed what he suspected earlier: that Sora and “Sora” were the same person.

Now he had something else to worry about…

Should he tell the prince or not?

 

===

 

_Down in the slums…_

Sora was resting on his second bed on the roof, having replaced his shirt and pants from earlier with a dirty not-white tank top and blue boxer shorts.  One thin blanket was spread across the old mattress to make it slightly more comfortable along with a pillowcase filled with scrap cloth and grass under his head.  After the rain passed earlier, it was now clear and warm out, perfect for sleeping outside.  Luckily there was a makeshift corrugated roof cover protecting half of the roof, including the area where his bed was located so everything was dry.  On a small stack of crates-turned-table next to the metal bed frame was the new walking stick Beat got him made of dark redwood with a Paopu fruit charm attached to it, and a clean 18-inch-long strip of cloth, dark blue in color, given to him by Rhyme to act as his new blindfold.  Along with those was the ice cream stick from earlier, his one proof that the friendly chat with the guard actually happened. 

Looking over at his gifts, he remembered telling his family about what happened to him at the Plaza, scaring Aerith and Cid almost threatening to have his siblings locked up in their rooms without dinner for letting that happen to him in the first place.  He decided to keep quiet about the red headed man being a kingsguard, not wanting to worry his family or question him even more about why a kingsguard would be looking for him.  Maybe he was talking about a different “Sora” and not him specifically.  But his name wasn’t very common.  If there was another “Sora” in the city, they weren’t in the slums: his family would recognize if there was another with his name.  And if they lived in one of the higher districts, then the man would have found them by now…

“Aw, crap!” Sora shouted, spooking the sleeping pintails awake and making them squawk in shock, the brunette giving himself a facepalm.  “I forgot to ask him his name!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another super long chapter! This one at over 8k words!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lea and Sora have a nice not-date and play a game of 20 questions...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit: skyesentinels for editing

“Sora, stop screwing around and eat your breakfast before it goes cold,” Cid grumbled as he lit a cigarette after finishing his meal.

Problem was that Sora’s meal had gone cold a while ago.  Today’s meal consisted of the last of their still stale bread and pintail eggs.  A lot of eggs. The female birds had been generous this time, giving them enough to feed them for breakfast and maybe dinner.  The brunette had put some of the cool eggs onto a slice of bread with some wilted lettuce in an attempt to make it into a sandwich, and he almost regretted it but didn’t say anything.  Rhyme and Beat sat on his left at the dinner table and Yuffie sat at one of the tables ends on his right. The four of them barely talked to each other all morning, their tongue lashing from Cid still fresh from yesterday.

“Morning,” a new voice said as they entered the dining room.  It was Neku, wearing his signature headphones that didn’t work but helped to block out sounds that annoyed him, and a girl with long red hair and a patched-up cat plushie named Shiki.  They both sat down across from Sora, Tifa handing them their portions.

“We heard about what happened yesterday,” Shiki said, giving Sora a worried frown.  “Are you okay?” The brunette smiled at her in reassurance.

“I’m fine, thanks…”

“Heard you got yourself a knight in shining red armor,” Neku added with a smirk as he took a bite of his eggs, nearly making Sora choke on his own.  Rhyme patted his back as he regained his composure.

“I-it’s nothing,” Sora mumbled as he took a sip of water to clear his throat.  “He just helped me out of a tight situation—”

“That’s an understatement!” Shiki said with a frown.  “You nearly had your hands removed!”

“She’s got a point, kid,” Cid added, knocking off the ashes of his cigarette out the open window.  “No more trips to the Plaza for you. At least until chatter from yesterday dies down.” He took a long draw from his cigarette before he spoke again.  “Actually, it’s best if you stay out of the upper districts. I’m sure the whole city knows about what happened yesterday.”

“Okay…” the brunette said, feeling a bit down at the idea of being under house arrest as he finished his breakfast.

===

_ In the royal barracks… _

Lea took his time eating his breakfast, namely because he was a bit sluggish after not sleeping well last night.  After finding the note that confirmed that the boy he met yesterday was Riku’s pen pal, he was hyped on adrenaline, so he spent a few hours in the training yard, practicing his sword work and then his fire magic until he was told to go to bed by a fussy maid.  Even then, he couldn’t sleep until just an hour before sunrise.

He ate another miniature meat dumpling drenched in chili oil from the small pile on his plate, not at all bothered by the heat that would make a normal man cry.  It seemed the chef of the royal guard and kingsguard had recently become fascinated by far east cuisine after their trip to the Land of Dragons, and it was reflected in the food provided today.  Other than meat dumplings, there was tofu pudding, hot dry noodles, congee, and bowls of soy milk with youtiao.*

“Whoa, man, those are some serious eye bags!” a male voice sounded from next to the redhead.  He turned and glared at the man, too busy chewing his meal to respond. “Trying to copy me the old-fashioned way, bro?”

“No way, Reno.  Your tattoos look stupid,” Lea grumbled as he flipped off his older brother, making the second redhead laugh even though his eyebrow twitched in irritation.

Reno was Lea’s older brother by three years, but they practically looked like twins.  Same wild red hair although Reno’s was shorter with a rattail in the back, same cat-like eyes with Reno’s being bluer in color, hell they even sounded the same.  The few obvious physical differences they had were that Reno was shorter by about two inches, and he had two red tattoos that wrapped under his eyes slightly. Personality wise, they were complete opposites: Lea was an optimist while Reno was cynical, Lea was a hard worker while Reno was lazy and had others do most of his jobs, and while Lea was sarcastic Reno was just a cocky bastard.  It was still a wonder how he managed to get the queen to make him a lieutenant in the royal guard with his own squadron despite his attitude. You’d think everyone would hate him or try to have him demoted, but shockingly everyone really liked him.

“What are you talking about?  All chicks in Scala think tattoos are the shit!”  His older brother posed to prove his point, but Lea just ignored him as he finished his dumplings.  The older one watched his brother take his dishes over to the turn-in station then went to leave, so he followed him to the door.  “I heard about what happened in the Plaza yesterday…” He saw his brother flinch slightly but didn’t say anything, so he continued.  “Something about how you exposed some crazy old lady’s drug trafficking business using kids and bears—”

“Oh my Shiva, that didn’t happen!” Lea groaned as he rolled his eyes.  “I made all that crap up so that the city guards wouldn’t cut off some innocent kid’s hands for being a good person!”  Lea went silent after he said that, his brother giving him an amused look, wiggling his eyebrows in a way that pissed Lea off.

“Is that really all it was, lil’ bro?”

“I’m leaving!”  The younger man quickly stormed out of the barracks, so no one saw that his face was as red as his hair.

===

Riku gave his mother an annoyed glare as he took another sip of his green tea, having barely touched his breakfast.  Today’s breakfast was French themed with an assortment of pastries and jams on the table, along with jugs of juice, baguettes, and bowls of yogurt with granola and fruit as well as a saucer of honey to drizzle on top.  Since it was nice and clear out, not too warm or too cold, they were eating out on the veranda. 

The queen ignored her son as she read one of a few letters that arrived today – and based on the seal it was from the Kingdom of Twilight, most likely the princess confirming her invitation – while she drank her coffee with cream.  After she read the letter and returned it to her aid, she turned to focus on her son, who was still giving her “the look.”

“What is it now?” she asked with a sigh.  “Your annoyance is making me annoyed.”

“Well, I’m sorry for being so annoyed, but I can’t help it with my guard being out during the day while I’m stuck inside on a weekend!  I’m bored!”

“That’s unfortunate, but you are still not allowed to leave the Royal Court,” she said as she took a bite of her brioche*, after which she mentioned to Emma to give the chef her praise at how sweet and light it was.

“I know that!” Riku groaned, rolling his whole head.  “But you don’t expect me to just sit around and do nothing on my one day off while you have Lea out in the city doing your spy’s work!”  At that, the queen raised a brow.

“I didn’t ask him to do anything,” she said, making her son look at her in confusion.  “He requested that he do his own investigation around the city until the princesses arrived.  I gave him permission to leave, so I have no idea what he is telling you but he’s doing this of his own free will.”

Stunned into silence, Riku finally started to eat his breakfast and took a bite of the same pastry his mother was eating, deciding that he needed to talk to Lea about this later.  He also agreed that the pastry was really good.

===

_ Sometime later… _

Lea was making his way down to the lower levels of the Commons when he realized he had no idea how to get into contact with Sora.  He knew Sora lived in the slums, but he couldn’t risk going down there as he could be jumped, put Sora in danger because he was looking for him, or get hopelessly lost since it was one of the most complicated districts in the city.  So, what was he supposed to do now? Just sit and wait for him?

After a few minutes, he grumbled and took a seat on a nearby bench near the main street on the second level, crossing his arms and legs, tapping his foot in annoyance.

In his distraction, Lea failed to notice how he was quickly spotted by a brunette woman in a pink dress and a blonde man with serious eyes.

===

“Want to hear something interesting?”

Sora looked up at Aerith in confusion from his indoor bed, the older woman giving him a big smile.  Behind her, Cloud was waiting for her in the hallway, silent and foreboding as always.

“What are you talking about?” Sora asked her.

“While Cloud was escorting me back from work in the lower levels, we saw someone pretty interesting: a particular red headed knight looking quite lost and impatient…”

Sora’s eyes practically lit up with excitement, but he frowned with worry and nerves.  He still didn’t know who this man was or why he was looking for him, but he had enjoyed his company.  Plus, he still needed to properly thank him for giving him the ice cream. However, he was in a bit of a bind.

“But I’m under house arrest,” Sora said with a sad sigh.  “Cid doesn’t want me out in the Commons for a few days…”

“You let us deal with grumpy old Cid,” Aerith said with a smile as she took his hands in her own.  “You have a date to get to!” Sora yelped in embarrassed shock as he was pulled out of his bed and towards Aerith’s room, Cloud rolling his eyes as he followed close behind.

===

Lea began to feel stupid for going this far waiting for a boy who might never show up.  He’d been sitting in the same spot for nearly an hour and still he had not seen or heard from Sora or noticed anyone familiar.  A couple of people had walked past him, but they didn’t seem to acknowledge him or were too scared to approach him. He had to blame his annoyed glare for that, but could you really blame him for that?  He was about ready to get up and leave, abandoning his plans for the day, until he noticed a familiar figure shuffling down the street.

“Sora?” Lea called out, gaining the attention of the boy who turned in his direction.  To make it easier on him, Lea headed towards him, now taking notice of some changes in the boy.

While Sora was wearing the same shorts and shoes as yesterday, he was now wearing a pink and blue plaid shirt over a white tank top, very well taken care of as they appeared clean.  The redhead suspected that a woman must have cleaned him up and gave him the shirts since the plaid top was a woman’s cut with the large vee neck and slits up the sides. He also noticed that Sora’s hair was cleaner, brushed in a way that made his spikes more manageable.  Sora also smelled faintly of daffodils and spring water, a popular ladies perfume, but there was also something else about him.

“Did something happen to your eyes?” Lea asked him, indicating the dark blue cloth wrapped around Sora’s head, covering his scarred eyes.  He also took notice of the walking stick the brunette held onto tightly.

“O-oh!  No, nothing is worse than usual,” Sora said with a small smile.  “My eyes are just more sensitive to direct sunlight.”

“Oh, okay,” Lea mumbled, remembering that it was cloudy the day before.  He looked around a bit, trying to decide on what to say now, making the minutes drag on into an awkward silence.

“…name…”

“Sorry, what?” Lea asked, flustered that he wasn’t paying attention, feeling like a jerk.

“I-I never got your name yesterday,” Sora repeated with a blush on his cheeks.  “I wanted to thank you properly, but I don’t know who you are…” Lea gave him a small smile at that.

“The name’s Lea.  Get it memorized,” he said, tapping Sora on his forehead lightly, making him jump slightly at the contact yet not pulling away.  Instead his smile grew wider.

“Alright, I’ll remember that, L-Lea,” Sora said with a shy giggle that made Lea’s cheeks warm up.  This kid was so sweet and cute! “Were you waiting for something?”

“Yeah, for you.  Have you had lunch yet?”

===

Not long after, Sora found himself shifting from foot to foot awkwardly as Lea ordered them food at a café on the fourth level.  It was a small place that was not quite an indoor restaurant as instead of a door leading inside, there was a large sliding wall made up entirely of windows that opened it up to the outside.  There was seating both inside and outside with large umbrellas protecting customers from the sun. The café itself sold various coffees and teas, sandwiches, salads, soups, and bakery items like bread and pastries.  Sora had never eaten here before, so he let Lea decide on a meal for him, staying close to him with a hand clenching the hem of his shirt.

But as Lea ordered and waited for their food, Sora began to feel like there were hundreds of eyes on him, giving him dirty looks, and he even swore he heard the owners of said eyes saying terrible things about them.  He feared that they were mocking Lea, who looked like a handsome well-to-do type of person, because he had a slum rat like Sora glued to his hip. 

In reality, people were staring at them and whispering about them, but for different reasons entirely. 

Lea could hear them easily and he did his best to ignore them, not wanting to agitate his companion.  He could hear them bringing up what happened in the Plaza yesterday and it made him roll his eyes for what felt like the fiftieth time in the last few hours.  At least no one was saying anything nasty about Sora, more just wondering about the teen curiously.

Once the server brought them their food, Lea paid them – having made sure he grabbed enough munny this time – and took the tray of food out of the café and away a bit from the customers.  There weren’t that many people, maybe a little over a dozen, as it wasn’t even noon yet, so most people were still at work. But Lea wanted Sora to feel comfortable while they ate their meals, so he took him to a shaded bench next to a small park near the café. 

“It might be best if you removed your blindfold while you eat,” Lea suggested when he turned to Sora, who was still standing close to him and looking a bit nervous.  Sora hesitated for a moment, one hand on the blindfold, before he pulled it down around his neck, blinking his gray eyes a couple of times. The brunette looked at the tray of food Lea was carrying as they sat down on the bench.  From what he could tell, it was a partially wrapped sandwich, which would make it easier for him to eat compared to soup or salad. “I didn’t know what you liked, so I got you a BLT with water. If there was something else you wanted—”

“No, I’m fine with this,” Sora said with a smile, taking the sandwich in one hand and the cup of water in the other.  He then took a small bite of the sandwich and for a moment he was in heaven: the bread and lettuce were very fresh, the tomato was sweet and juicy, and the bacon crunched pleasantly as he slowly chewed it.  He thought he would start crying but instead just sniffled a bit.

“Is it good?” Lea asked him worriedly when he saw the brunette’s eyes mist over slightly.

“This is the best sandwich I’ve ever had!” Sora said with a huge smile before taking another small bite then a sip of water.  He wanted to savor this meal while it lasted, so he ate it slowly. He then turned to watch Lea eat something with a strong scent from a small bowl.  When he sniffed the air, he was bombarded with a strong spicy smell. “What in the world are you eating?” He saw Lea give him a smug smirk.

“Spicy chicken chili with extra peppers,” the redhead replied, slurping down some of the thick broth before eating a small chicken piece.

“How many extra peppers?” Sora asked, almost afraid to know.

“Hm… at least three times the usual.  Also double on the chili powder.”

“How are you not on fire right now?!”

“How do you keep your hair up like that?”

“Huh?”  Now Sora was confused, blinking a couple of times up at Lea as the redhead turned towards him.

“Let’s play a bit of 20 questions,” he said, taking a sip of his sweet tea.  “For every question you ask me, I will ask you a question.”

“But… why?”

“Because I barely know you, but I can tell that you are a good person.  I want us to get to know each other if we are to become friends.” Sora was left speechless for a moment when he heard that.

“Y-you… want to be my friend…?” he asked nervously.  Lea smiled at him reassuringly.

“Of course!  And don’t worry: no ulterior motives are behind this!”  Sora giggled at that, his smile returning.

“Okay.  I’m game!”

===

“Why are we still here?” Cloud asked Aerith from his spot against a brick wall, watching the brunette woman peeking around the corner to watch Sora and this “Lea” fellow chat happily.  “Nothing’s happened to them since we saw them meet up in the lower levels.”

“But don’t you want to see what happens next?” Aerith asked with a big smile.

“Not really.  And besides, weren’t you trying to set up Sora with his pen pal ‘R’?”  The brunette woman turned around to give him a serious look.

“Who’s to say he isn’t ‘R’?”

“… Good point.”

And with that, Cloud stayed there with Aerith.

===

_ + _ Around 18 months ago… _ + _

_ Lea had difficulty holding back his yawn, wanting to lay down and take a nap from how tired he felt physically and emotionally.  He’d been on his feet since the early hours and well into late afternoon, and now the prince’s social economics lesson was taking forever.  In reality, it had only been about 20 minutes into an hour-long lesson, but it felt like much longer than that. It didn’t help that the tutor was a creepy older woman who talked in a slow almost monotone voice while pointing out various facts on a large chalkboard.  It wasn’t hard to imagine that this woman was the former stepmother to one of the princesses of Disney, having been disowned after her stepdaughter married the prince but kept her aristocrat status. _

_ Lea heard another yawn near the center of the room and saw the 15-year-old prince Riku covering his mouth, his other hand used to prop his head up on the table.  He didn’t even blink when the tutor gave him a nasty glare for his attitude before she continued lecturing. The prince then took notice of Lea standing next to the door.  The bodyguard gave him a smile, only for it to disappear quickly as the prince glared at him before looking at the board and pretend to pay attention. _

_ The prince had not liked the red headed man ever since he was hired on as a palace guard two months ago, and then requested by the king himself to temporarily watch over the prince until they found him a kingsguard.  Said man let out a defeated sigh, slumping slightly where he stood. He didn’t know why it was so hard to get the prince to like him even a little. Nothing he said or did made the prince acknowledge him in any way that wasn’t negative, or even crack a smile.  Did his highness even know how to smile for real? _

_ There was a loud meow as a large long-haired cat with a dark gray and cream coat strutted through the room and around Riku’s legs, making the prince grumble in annoyance.  He was more of a dog person, and while he didn’t have anything against cats this one was a real monster. He kicked his leg out in a way to move the cat away from him without hurting it, making it hiss in anger before it jumped up onto his desk and swat at him. _

_ “Get lost, you beast!” the prince growled as he pushed the cat away from him, cursing when the cat swatted at him again, this time with a bit of claws. _

_ “Pay attention, Your Highness!” the tutor said in a sharp voice, swatting the pointer on the board harshly.  “I will not be repeating myself, and it will be your fault if you do not know the content for the test.” _

_ “Your stupid cat keeps getting in the way!” Riku said angrily, nursing his hand that had three faint red lines on it.  “If you want me to ‘pay attention’ so much then—” _

_ Cutting him off, the woman brought down her pointer so hard onto the desk it made both Riku and Lea jump in shock and the prince go silent.  It was a wonder that it didn’t break from the force. _

_ “Lucifer is not to blame.  If you want to fault someone, it should be you and your incompetence.  Now stop letting yourself get distracted and pay attention.” _

_ Lea took in a breath when he saw how angry the prince was getting based on the glare he gave the tutor, which she ignored as she pet her feline lovingly before returning to the board.  The cat even had the audacity to make several short hisses that almost sounded like snickering before swatting the prince in the face with its tail and strutting around the room again. _

_ ‘ _ That does it _ ,’ Lea thought as he slipped off one of his gloves and rubbed his fingers together, small sparks of flame lighting them up.  If he didn’t do something soon Riku was going to kill the cat, then he would get in real trouble with his parents. He opened the door next to him just slightly, enough to let a cat out, ready to make his move.  Riku saw him out of the corner of his eye, raising a brow in confusion as Lea made a small flame sprite in the shape of a mouse appear on his hand, dancing around in place before he flicked it to the floor, letting it loose.  Riku watched curiously as the flame sprite ran around on the tile floor from corner to corner, too fast for a human not paying attention, but fast enough to draw the eyes of a large cat. _

_ Lucifer pounced at it, only to miss and slide along the smooth floor and hit the wall.  Quick to anger, the cat growled and chased it around the room, its owner ignoring the hissing cat as she continued to drone on.  Lea smirked, glad he now had the full attention of the cat and was going to start guiding the cat towards the door, ready to lock it outside for the rest of the lesson.  But just as the sprite turned towards the door and started to run across the floor towards it, Lucifer caught up part way and swatted at it hard, sending it flying… _

_ … right onto the tutor’s dress. _

_ Riku’s eyes went wide as the sprite popped with a squeak, catching the edge of the dress on fire.  It was small, just a little flame, but it was quickly spreading. The cat must have realized what it had done and yowled before dashing out of the room.  Meanwhile, Lea had broken out in a cold sweat as he slowly inched closer to the older woman, hoping to get close enough without her noticing and use his magic to draw the flame away. _

_ But Lady Luck was not on his side today. _

_ “Do you smell something burning, Your Highness?” the woman asked, sniffing the air.  The small flame was quickly growing bigger and spreading faster. She finally noticed the stream of smoke and followed it down to her dress. _

_ Within seconds after getting over the initial shock, she let out a shrill shriek as she tried to smack out the flames with her pointer, which only fanned the flames even more. _

_ “Please, calm down!” Lea yelled as he ran forward, trying to pull out the flames with magic, but the woman ignored him and ran out the room.  Most of the back of her dress was in ashes now, her bloomers in full view. Lea cursed as he ran towards the door to chase after her but was stopped when he heard something truly amazing. _

_ Prince Riku was laughing so hard his pale face was completely red, tears running down his cheeks.  The redhead was temporarily mesmerized by the sweet sound, his own cheeks turning slightly pink, until another shriek down the hall broke him out of his trance.  He turned away and ran after the woman, Riku’s laughter echoing down the hall after him. _

===

“…And that was how I nearly caused an international incident with Disney.”

Sora burst out with laughter at such a force he nearly fell off the bench, occasionally snorting.  Several people at the café gave the laughing boy an odd look before going about their business. Lea didn’t bother hiding his embarrassed smile, glad that he made the brunette boy’s day with his story.

During their game of 20 questions, they started off simple enough: favorite color, least favorite food, the basics.  After getting through those by the tenth question they started getting into more obscure and personal territory, which was also around the time they finished their meals.  For Sora’s 18 th question, he had asked about a time Lea had greatly embarrassed himself in front of someone important. 

That incident between himself and the tutor got Lea into some serious trouble with the king and queen.  The tutor had quit on the spot and Lea’s paycheck was docked to pay for a new dress and for the king to hire a new social economics tutor.  Afterwards, he went without pay and was under house arrest in the barracks for a week. All of the palace staff, the royal guard, and even his brother mocked him for a whole month after that.  But the thing that made up for it all was that every time Riku saw him, he would fall into a fit of giggles. A few weeks after his punishment was up, Lea was promoted from palace guard to kingsguard at the behest of the prince and became Riku’s companion.

Of course, for anonymity’s sake, Lea changed around some facts about the story, like the fact that he was working as a guard for a nobleman’s son and not the prince himself, or exactly how he set the tutor’s dress on fire.

“S-so wait,” Sora said between giggles, wiping the tears from his eyes.  “H-how did you even manage to set her dress on fire?”

“Hey, you already had your question,” Lea said with a smirk.  “I’ll ask you my question, and then I’ll answer yours. We cool?”

“Alright,” the brunette said, rolling his gray eyes before returning to the other man.  “Ask away.”

“Tell me about your parents.”

Sora froze at the not-question, his smile gone.  He could tell that the smile Lea had was gone as well, replaced with a serious look.

“D-does that really matter?” he asked him, feeling nervous.

“I mean, if it’s a really sensitive subject then I can ask something else…” Lea said, but he seemed genuinely curious.  “I know you have a new family that are great and all, but I want to know about your real parents and what happened to them.”

“There’s really not much to say about them,” Sora said, looking down at his thin hands that gripped his walking stick tightly.  “My mom was pretty normal. Everyone said I looked a bit like her, blue eyes and everything. She wasn’t from Scala ad Caelum, having immigrated here from Eos when the war escalated 20 years ago.  She married my dad, who worked in one of the shops in the first level of the Commons. They seemed pretty happy until the economy went bad.”

Lea remembered that time.  Most of Nevermore and Eos was affected by the economy crisis caused by the war between Lucis and Niflheim.  He was just a little kid back then, but he remembered how his family struggled to get back on their feet before the economy stabilized again.

“The store my dad worked at went bankrupt, the owner having fled the city with all their munny and no one who worked there could afford to live in the Commons, so they either had to leave the city or move to the slums.  My mom was fine living anywhere so long as my dad stayed with her, but my dad was too stubborn to just pack up and leave. So, they moved into the slums with plans to find work and save up the munny to get a home again. But then I was born, and they could never seem to keep their munny for long…”

Sora went silent for a moment before he looked up at Lea with a sad smile.

“Remember how yesterday I said that was my first-time eating sea salt ice cream?”  Lea nodded before the boy continued. “I almost got to try it one time, before I lost my sight.  My mom had gotten some munny and gave it to me to buy some for myself, but before I had a chance to even buy it some older kids from the Commons found me.  They were just some local bullies, picking on me and saying mean things about me. I didn’t care and ignored them, until they started insulting my mom. I got mad and tried to hit one of them, but then they ganged up on me and beat me up, taking the munny my mom gave me and my shoes, too, throwing them down the canal…”  

Lea frowned at that.  Normally the stories he heard said that it was the people from the slums who mugged people from the Commons, never the other way around.  But then again, seeing a small helpless boy wearing rags up in the Commons, only wanting to eat some sea salt ice cream, was the perfect target for bullies.

“When I got home and my dad found out, he beat me up for getting attacked in the first place and getting my munny and shoes stolen.  Then he beat up my mom for giving me the munny, saying it wasn’t hers to spend how she wanted. I think he was drunk at the time, too…” 

“Sounds like a real bastard,” Lea mumbled, too angry from the story to even try and hold it back.  How could someone treat their own wife and child like that?

“Well, you wouldn’t be the first to think that,” Sora said with a sad chuckle.  “As to what happened to them, I really don’t know. I had been out with some friends and when I came back the house was empty.  I didn’t think much of it since they usually stayed out late, sometimes for days at a time. But when they didn’t return after a month, I suspected that they either died somewhere or they abandoned me and left the city.  I was 12 at the time…”

Lea clenched his hands tightly in his lap, trying his best to not get any angrier.  He was already upset for even bringing the topic up anyway, but he couldn’t hold back his curiosity, and now regretted asking.

“So, ready to answer my question?” Sora asked him with a smile, legs bouncing with excitement.  Lea couldn’t help but smile back, his anger slowly dissipating. The brunette could bounce back so easily it was amusing.

“Alright.  So, you want to know how I set the tutor’s dress on fire, right?”  Sora nodded quickly. Lea smirked as he slipped off one of his gloves, rubbing his fingers together for a moment before he held his hand up to Sora’s face, the boy watching it curiously.  With a snap of his fingers, a small mouse shaped fire sprite appeared on his hand, squeaking softly.

Sora jumped back when the sprite appeared before him, but he couldn’t bring himself to look away, watching the sprite as it danced around on Lea’s hand a few times before the redhead squished it.  With a final squeak, it was gone in a puff of smoke.

“You can use fire magic?!” Sora gasped loudly, trying his best to keep his voice down.  Other than himself he’d never seen anyone else use magic before.

“You make it sound like it should be impossible,” Lea said with a chuckle, rubbing his fingers together to make fiery sparks appear.  “Elemental magic is the most common form across Nevermore with fire being the more uncommon one, mostly because if used incorrectly you either can barely light a candle or accidently set yourself on fire.  I’m entirely self-taught,” he added with a smug grin, puffing his chest out slightly as Sora’s gray eyes seemed to shine in pure admiration.

“That is so  _ cool _ !” he said with a squeal, making a few bystanders stare at them briefly before going about their business.  The boys had barely noticed that they’d been talking for over an hour, and they still had more to say.

“Now, onto my last question…” Lea said, looking down at Sora who was still smiling up at him. 

But now he was stumped on what to ask next.  He could extend their game by another 20 questions since there was still so much he wanted to know, but with most of the day over they didn’t have much time.  And after his last question, Lea didn’t know if it was right to ask his next one.

“Are you okay, Lea?” Sora asked him, smile gone and replaced with a worried frown.  The redhead looked troubled from his perspective, and he had yet to ask his next question.  Finally, the older man seemed to have made up his mind as he spoke.

“Sora, wha—”

“Hey, who let the rat out of the gutter?!”

Both Sora and Lea jumped at the sudden shout with the brunette going pale.  Lea looked up and saw four kids walking towards them, the older ones smirking at them.  They looked like they were from the Commons as they appeared better off compared to most.  

The one that seemed to be the leader wore a long sleeveless jacket over a sleeveless blue top cropped just above his stomach, dark pants and combat boots, a black beanie slightly covering his short blonde hair.  The taller of the four looked like a gorilla with his thick arms and square head covered in short dark brown hair. He wore a red tank top with a black design on it, black track pants with red lines down the sides, and sneakers.  The one girl in the group had a platinum blonde bob cut with her bangs covering one of her narrowed red eyes, and she wore a blue sleeveless turtleneck, light tan cargo shorts and light blue slip-on shoes. The last of the group was a short boy who hid at the back, wearing a blue coat, green pants, and a brown hat that protected his face from the sun.  In fact, his jacket collar was so high that it hid any distinguishing features from view.

“Yeah!  Everyone knows that rats don’t belong up here, y’know?” the bigger one said with a laugh, making the blonde boy laugh out loud and the girl chuckle, her expression still blank.

“Eyesore,” the girl said in a stoic tone of voice, making the boys laugh again.

Okay, these kids were starting to piss Lea off.

“Leave us alone, Seifer,” Sora said in a strained voice loud enough for the blonde boy to hear him.  The blonde glared as he approached them and bent over him with a sneer. From this close, Lea could see an old scar on the boy’s face on the bridge of his nose.

“Do you want to piss me off, rat?” he snarled at him.  “I’ve kicked your ass in the past before when you were just a speck, so don’t think I won’t throw you down the canal now.”  Sora’s shoulders trembled as he bit his lip hard, eyes misting over slightly but refusing to let any tears fall as he glared at the older boy.  

“Or what?  Think you can take me on now that you got a little bit bigger?  I’ll take you down so fast you wouldn’t see it coming even if you could still see!”

At that, Seifer and his friends laughed at the poor brunette, except for the smaller boy who seemed to fidget on the spot nervously.  Sora’s trembles started to get worse and tears began to build up in his eyes.

“Back off, shithead.”

“Huh?”  That was when Seifer finally took notice of Lea, who was glaring at him with a look that could kill.  Said redhead stood up and approached Seifer, making him step back. The boy appeared to be just a bit taller than Riku, but Lea still had at least a half a head advantage to the slightly muscular teen.  “You another one of his slum rat friends? You don’t look so tough! I could take you on myse—”

Suddenly Lea had is bare hand wrapped around Seifer’s throat, making him choke in shock, the toes of his boots almost lifted off the ground.  Lea was a lot stronger than one would think.

“This is your only warning, you little shit,” Lea growled, his hand growing hot quickly.  “You better leave Sora, his family, and his friends alone from now on. And if I hear that you hurt him again, well…”  Flames began to appear around the edges of his hand, burning Seifer’s skin. The blonde couldn’t even cry out in pain because of the grip on his throat.

“I-I told you not to mess around with him!” the smaller boy shouted in a high-pitched voice.  The bigger boy and the girl had gotten into fighting stances, the smallest of the group hiding behind them, but they were too scared to make a move.

“Lea!  Stop it!”

The flames were gone when Lea felt a thin hand grip his arm tightly.  He looked down and saw Sora looking up at him in fright, tear streaks staining his cheeks.  Lea quickly let go of the blonde who just fell to the ground, coughing as he took in deep breaths.  There were first degree burns around his neck in the shape of a handprint. They would hurt like a bitch but should disappear within the hour. 

“Let’s leave,” the girl said as she helped him up and they hurried away, the smaller boy practically running to catch up with them.  Seifer glared at them one last time before they disappeared down a side street.

Sora and Lea just continued to stand there staring at each other in silence.  Several people who happened to watch what had happened whispered to one another, wondering what would happen next.

===

“That guy really pisses me off!” Seifer growled as he gingerly rubbed his still sore neck.  They were just a street over from where Sora and his friend were, but the blonde refused to go any further.  “I’m gonna go back there and beat him up when I get my bat from home!”

“M-maybe we should leave them alone,” Vivi said in a worried tone, twiddling his thumbs.  “That guy had a scary look on his face! And he can use fire magic!”

“Dangerous,” Fuu said, agreeing with their young friend with a nod.  They may know how to fight – well, except for Vivi – but she doubted three teens with struggle bats could take on a fire user.

“Yeah, we should just back off, y’know?” Rai said, rubbing the back of his head.  The idea of picking on the pipsqueak had been fun at first, but with a guy like that protecting him made it seem like it wasn’t worth it.  Seifer glared at his friends.

“Fine!  Then I’ll do it myself!”  The blonde stomped down the street, ready to go home and grab his bat, but a brunette woman in a pink dress stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks.  “What do you want?”

Aerith just smiled at the blonde boy, but inside she was fuming.  “I couldn’t help but notice that you plan on ganging up on my dear little brother,” she said in a sweet voice.  At that Seifer sneered.

“Oh, you’re just another slum who—”

But then Cloud came out from around the corner and slammed Seifer into the brick wall with enough force that he might have broken something due to his cry of pain.  The older teen looked up and nearly wet himself when he saw two glowing blue eyes glaring down at him. Even his friends remained frozen in fear from the sheer aura the man gave off.

“Go ahead,” the older male growled at him.  “Finish what you were about to say, Seifer Almasy.  Just remember that  _ Leon _ knows where you live…”

Seifer remained silent at the mention of Squall Leonhart, better known as Leon in the slums and the lower levels of the Commons.  The other teen may be around the same age as him, same build, and a total introvert, but he was one scary dude and the one who scarred his face just because he insulted his jacket.  The boy had proceeded to beat him up so badly he broke his nose in three different places, giving him a similar scar to the one Leon already had. You can imagine the damage he could inflict if he knew Seifer was bullying his little brother.  His silence enough of an answer, Cloud pulled back from him but continued to glare.

“Well, you best skedaddle,” Aerith said, waving her hand at them.  All four of them nodded their heads quickly before they ran down the street.  “Now! I wonder how our boy is doing?” Aerith skipped back to the end of the street and peeked around the corner, her mood bright again, Cloud rolling his eyes for the twentieth time.  But then he saw the brunette look back at him in confusion.

“What now?” he asked her in annoyance.

“Um… where did they go?”

===

At some point while Aerith and Cloud were dealing with the bullies, Lea had taken Sora by the hand and guided him away from the café to a quieter place on the fourth level.  They had been walking for several minutes, the redhead gripping the younger boy’s hand tightly.

“Lea, you’re warming up,” Sora said, making the older one stop in his tracks.  He let Sora go and quickly slipped on his glove. Sora looked around, feeling awkward since Lea wouldn’t speak.  From what he could tell, they were next to a small park in a quiet residential area in the Commons, and it seemed like no one else was around.

“Sorry you had to see that,” Lea mumbled as he sat down on the cobblestone ground, his back resting against a short stone garden wall.  Sora took a seat next to him. “I should have controlled myself better back there…”

“No, it’s my fault,” Sora said sadly, making Lea look to him in shock.  “Seifer only approached you because I was there. I knew I should have stayed in the slums where I belong…”

“That’s not true!” Lea shouted, making the smaller boy jump, so the redhead calmed down before he spoke again.  “What that piece of crap said was wrong. You don’t ‘belong’ in the slums. You don’t even deserve to live down there.  You’re such a sweet, selfless person who has every right to be up here in the Commons just like those bullies do.” Sora looked up at Lea and gave him a warm smile.

“Thanks, Lea.  No one outside my family has ever stood up for me like that.”

Lea chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.  They stopped talking for a few minutes, but the silence this time was peaceful.  After a few minutes, Sora spoke up.

“You never got to ask your last question…”

Both boys broke out in a fit of giggles, Lea running a hand down his face.  “You don’t have to answer it,” he said with a smile. “You probably wouldn’t want to anyway.”

“Try me,” the brunette said with a smirk.  “What’s your question?”

“Okay, fine,” Lea said as he turned to look at Sora with a frown.  “How did you lose your sight?”

Sora flinched slightly at the question, but quickly brushed it off with a laugh.  “I told you yesterday! I was—”

“But that’s not the full truth, is it?”

Sora went silent as he looked up at Lea in worry.

“You now know that I’m a fire user, so you must also know that I know what a real burn from a fire looks like.”

Sora looked down at his hands clenched in his lap, but he still wasn’t fully convinced.  He jumped when he saw Lea pulling up the hem of his shirt to reveal his chest.

“W-what are you doing?!” Sora gasped, face going red.  When Lea had his shirt pulled up to his collarbone, Sora noticed a large red mark on his sternum. 

“Go ahead and touch it,” Lea said upon noticing the younger boy’s curious look.  Sora hesitated for a bit before he raised a hand and ran his fingers along the mark, making Lea shudder at the ticklish feeling.

“What is it?” the boy asked him.  The mark was smooth in some places, but he could feel rough skin around the edges and some areas seemed to be stuck in permanent wrinkles.

“It’s a third degree burn,” Lea said softly.  “When I was immigrating to Scala, I was broke and alone.  Most nights, I slept out in tents at havens if I could, but some nights I wasn’t so lucky.  One night, I was too slow getting to a haven and was ambushed by a couple of Grenades.” 

Much like in Eos and other parts of the world, Nevermore had nocturnal monsters that came out right at around sunset and attacked any people or animals unfortunate to be outside at the time.  They only seemed to appear in the open world as cities, both free and under royal rule, were too lit up or protected for them to get inside. Havens were the only safe places for travelers too broke to afford a hotel room as they were protected with magic runes, keeping monsters away. 

“I managed to take out most of them, but then one got too close and detonated, which is where this injury came from.”

“It must have hurt…” Sora mumbled sadly, running his hand along the scar, making goosebumps appear along Lea’s skin from the contact.

“Not really.  I was knocked out when I was hit, and since third degree burns damage or completely destroy the nerves under the skin, I wouldn’t have felt a thing.”

“But how can you feel anything now?”

“Turns out the haven I was heading to had a couple of pilgrims from Tenebrae already staying there.  They saw the explosion and came to help me. One of them was a healer and fixed me up free of charge, then they let me stay at their camp for the night before escorting me most of the way here.”  Lea smiled as he slipped his shirt back down after Sora pulled his hand back.

“But if you were healed why is the scar still there?”  Lea gave him a shrug.

“Never could figure that out.  Magic is weird like that.” Sora stayed silent for a moment after.  “So… how did you really lose your sight?” Sora puffed his cheeks at that.

“I won’t tell you unless you tell me why you’ve been looking for me!”  Lea was taken aback by the response, the brunette giving him a smug grin.  “Yeah, two can play at that!” Lea smirked in return.

“Well, I’m not telling you until you tell me!”

They stared at each other for a minute, neither one ready to back down until Sora had an idea.

“Why don’t we answer our questions at the exact same time,” he suggested.  Lea nodded in agreement.

“I’m game.  Ready?”

“Yeah!”

Both boys took in deep breaths before they started counting down together.

“3… 2… 1…”

“I’m a light user!”

“I’m a friend of ‘R’!”

.

.

.

.

“WHAAAAAT???”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> youtiao - a type of Chinese donut commonly served with milk for breakfast
> 
> brioche - a chocolate croissant like pastry
> 
> Something I forgot to mention but is kinda relevant, maybe, is that the part where Sora smells of "daffodils and spring water", in the language of flowers daffodils represent unrequited love. Aerith is such a helpful girl!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The prince has grown suspicious of his knight, and another not-date commences...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First I want to apologize for not updating last friday! At first I was so busy with my weekday job that I couldn't get any time to write, then I got sick from allergies so I spent my 2 day offs before my weekend job recovering. I did get some writing over the weekend but I didn't finish chapter 4 until just a few days ago since skye was busy doing their own thing and getting obsessed with KH: Union X, lol! But now I'm feeling better and I'm back to updating every friday again!
> 
> Credit: skyesentinels for beta reading, editing, and being totally awesome.

Sora and Lea stared at each other in shock, having revealed some of their biggest secrets.

“H-how do you know ‘R’?” Sora gasped, his face going slightly red.  He’d never told anyone outside of his family about “R” so it’s not like Lea could have accidentally learned something and used it as some kind of excuse, but still.

“I met him when I moved to the city,” Lea said, rubbing the back of his neck as he told his white lie.  “We became friends right away, so when he told me he had a new pen pal named ‘Sora,’ I was suspicious at first.  His parents are really strict and rarely let him commune with anyone from the lower districts or even let him leave his home.”  Sora gave a small nod at that. He remembered “R” mentioning in an old letter that he couldn’t leave his home very often, so they could never meet in person.  Speaking of…

“‘R’ is a boy?” Sora asked the redhead curiously, making him quirk a brow.

“Guess he never mentioned in his letters?” Lea questioned him, Sora shaking his head in response.  “Either way, I came to look for you because I wanted to see what kind of person you are. If his parents knew who he was talking to, they would completely sever his ties to the outside, which is why I can’t tell you his name.”

“That’s sad, but it kinda makes sense,” the brunette mumbled as he hugged his legs to his chest.  “Cid wanted to keep me in our home after what happened yesterday to keep me safe. “R’s” parents must really care about him if they want to keep him indoors so much.”

“They have to be overprotective,” Lea added as he leaned back against the garden wall.  “Due to medical reasons, his mother can’t have any more children, so he is their only one.  If something were to happen to him…”

“Yeah…”

They fell into a moment of silence before Lea said, “So… you’re a light user?”

“Yeah,” Sora grumbled into his arms, ears going slightly red.  “It just kinda manifested when I was 4. When I was 8, I tried using light magic to incinerate some trash.  It worked too well, and I blinded myself.” Lea winced at that. Getting a burn to the chest had sucked, but he had barely felt anything due to losing consciousness from the intensity of the initial damage.  To be blinded by light magic and being forced to feel that pain must have been very painful and terrifying for a small child. “Because it was magic that hurt me and not something more natural, we couldn’t afford the medicine to fix my eyes.  From then on, I was forbidden from using magic ever again.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Lea said, rubbing his knees.  “Light magic is pretty rare. The only ones who possess light magic that I know of are in one of the royal families friendly to Scala.”  Lea had yet to meet any of the most well-known light users in the world, but he knew of them. One was Riku’s aunt Lunafreya and her mother, Riku’s paternal grandmother, Queen Sylva Via Fleuret of Tenebrae.  Then there was princess Naminè Lux Solis-Occasum* of the kingdom of Twilight along with her older brother prince Roxas, and there was a king from a friendly royal city who also was a light user, but he didn’t know who or which one.  To think that there was a commoner with pure light magic…

“Have you ever tried to heal yourself?” Lea asked the younger boy, who looked up at him in confusion.  “All light users can use healing magic, it just takes a bit of practice.”

One of the weird things about light magic was that some people can use it in its “purest” form while others used sub-versions of it.  The best example would be healers as healing magic was classified as a form of light – commonly called “white” – magic due to its positive effects.  However, they can only heal the sick and injured while those who possess pure light magic can do that to a much stronger affect and then some, like Sora blinding himself or queen Lunafreya’s very strong healing powers that can bring a man back from the brink of death, which gave her the title of “Oracle”.

“I never tried,” Sora mumbled, hugging his legs tighter.  “But I haven’t used magic ever since the accident. I don’t even know if I still can…”

“Of course you can,” Lea said with a smile as he pat Sora on the shoulder.  “No one stops being able to use magic, just how to use it.” Lea thought about it for a moment before he had an idea.  “Maybe I can teach you.”

“How to use light magic?” Sora questioned him curiously.

“Not exactly.  Only another light user can teach you how to use light magic.  But I can teach you how to harness your powers. Tomorrow after lunch maybe?”

“Sounds like fun!” Sora said with a big smile, already excited about the next day.

 

===

 

_ Sometime later… _

Lea walked in a daze through the Royal Court then through the palace, still unable to believe what he learned just a few hours ago.

Sora was a light user, possibly the only one not born of royal blood.  And it was through his powers that he was now partially blind. If the city knew of a commoner light user, half would call him a sign sent from the gods while the other half would claim he is the bastard child of another royal light user.  Healers were everywhere while pure light users seemed almost completely limited to one of the different royal families, so the idea wasn’t too far-fetched.

Either way, this was not exactly a good thing…

The redhead sighed when he saw that he was already at Riku’s bedroom door.  The prince was probably bored out of his mind since today was his one free day before the princesses arrived, almost making Lea feel bad for ditching the prince for his little “investigation,” but that was before he got to know more about Sora.  Now, he thought it was totally worth it. He just hoped Riku wasn’t too angry about him being out most of the day.

No longer able to avoid it, Lea carefully and as quietly as he could pushed open one of the double doors to Riku’s room, flinching when the hinges creaked slightly, nearly echoing down the empty hallway.  He peeked his head into the sitting room and saw that it was slightly dark, the only source of light being the setting sun, and that there was no movement other than the sleeping Lazarus and Fenris. There was also no light or movement coming from the bedroom portion of the suite from what the redhead could tell.

“Your Highness?” Lea called out in a loud whisper, ears straining to listen for a response.  He heard nothing for a solid minute. He sighed in relief as he pulled back and pushed the door closed with a soft click.  The prince must have turned in early for the night, or he was having a private evening with his mother. Best not to disturb him.  Lea would see him tomorrow morning before he left the court anyway: he and Sora had planned to meet up again for lunch tomorrow and were going to walk around the Commons fifth level and window shop before spending another hour training.  He turned away from the doors, planning to head to his own room down the hall and turn in for the night when he nearly collided with Riku, who was standing close behind him.

“Sweet Ifrit!” Lea gasped as he jumped back, heart racing a mile a minute from the shock and feeling of terror he got when he saw the teen’s expression.  The prince was clearly not in a good mood, if not already obvious from the tendrils of darkness wrapping around his arms and hair, making the silver strands float about like he was suspended in water. His normally sea-green eyes flickered to amber every so often.  Riku only got like that when he was really pissed. “I-is everything alright, Your Highness?” Lea asked with a nervous stutter.

“What do you think?” Riku grumbled as he grabbed Lea’s shirt and shoved him against the hardwood doors of his bedroom, making the redhead grunt from the force.  But just a moment after his back collided with the door, for just a few seconds, he was suspended in a sea of pitch black, only to just as suddenly land on the prince’s bed with an “oof” with said prince sitting on his lap.  Lea looked up at him with a worried glare.

“You know your parents hate when you use corridors of darkness,” Lea grumbled as he felt unpleasant chills crawl across his skin, giving him goosebumps.  

Dark magic users have a teleportation like ability by opening doorways within the fabrics of reality and moving through the darkness of space from one place in the world to another.  The more skilled users are able to open corridors taking them to places on the other side of the world or even to the spaces in between. Riku on the other hand could only travel short distances, 100 feet max, as it physically drains him of energy. Attempting to travel too far could leave him trapped in the void of space forever, which is why he never even tried to use his ability to sneak out of the Royal Court in the past.  The silver haired teen was already panting with exhaustion after teleporting two people barely 30 feet, sweat dripping down his face as he took in deep breaths. 

“I wouldn’t have to use them if I knew you wouldn’t try to avoid me,” Riku gasped angrily, hands fisting in Lea’s shirt tightly.  “You lied to me.”

“What are you talking about?” Lea asked him, trying his best to sound neutral and not freak out.

“Don’t give me that crap!” Riku responded in a raised voice.  “You told me that mother sent you on a job in the city, but she told me that you requested the job!”  He sat back on his haunches, his eyes returning to normal and the dark tendrils vanishing, a look of hurt on his face.  “You’re hiding something from me, Lea… But why?” The redhead frowned when he saw that look. He hated when his prince was upset, especially so when it was somewhat his fault.

“Riku, I’m sorry I lied to you,” Lea said as he sat up to face the prince properly, taking his hands in his own.  “And while I really want to tell you everything, I can’t right now.” Riku gave him a hurt glare, pouting slightly.  “I’m sorry, but it’s personal, so much so that I even lied to your mother about wanting to leave the court.”

“You lied to my mother?” Riku asked him, brow cocked in amusement.  “Lying to me is one thing but lying to the queen can cost you your job or land you in jail.”

“I know!” Lea whined as he ran a hand down his face, making Riku chuckle.  He could sense where this was going, so he needed to think up something quick.  “Listen, while I can’t tell you everything right now, just give me some time and I can tell you, maybe even show you if I can.”

“Why don’t you just tell me now?” Riku asked him, curiosity now peaked as he leaned forward, pushing Lea back onto the bed so he was laying on top of him.  “I can just create a barrier on the room like I always do so you can tell me without anyone disturbing or overhearing us.”

“Because I’m not emotionally or mentally prepared to tell you,” Lea sighed, running a hand through Riku’s short silver locks.  “And even with the barrier, who’s to say someone won’t overhear you say something accidentally or you end up spilling the beans?”  And he secretly didn’t want Riku to get angry at him about looking for Sora without telling him.

“Hey!” Riku protested with a frown while trying not to laugh.  “I never told anyone anything!”

“Then how do you explain your parents and the entire palace staff knowing about our relationship?”

Riku blushed darkly as he hid his face in Lea’s chest, making the redhead chuckle.  The prince couldn’t help that his guard made him so happy that he couldn’t contain his feelings for him no matter how many times he denied it.

“Okay, fine!” Riku grumbled in embarrassment before he looked up at Lea.  “Then when will you tell me what you’re hiding from me and my parents?” Lea thought about it for a moment, biting the inside of his cheek as he continued to play with the prince’s hair.

“Probably after the princesses have left,” he said, snorting slightly when Riku let out a sound of disgust.  “I don’t want you saying something in front of your parents when your bride prospects are in the palace.”

“I’m just going to turn them all down anyway,” Riku said he propped himself up on Lea’s chest, resting his head on his arms.  “At most, we’ll just stand around eating hors d'oeuvres until we all die of boredom…” Both boys broke out into a fit of giggles before the prince leaned forward and kissed his guard on the lips, the redhead returning it softly.  “Fine, I’ll accept that… on one condition,” Riku said with a smirk. Lea quirked an eyebrow at that.

“Just a small sacrifice I am willing to give if it means you’ll shut up about this for a bit longer,” Lea said, smirking as the prince sat up again.  “What’s your condition?”

“I get to top this time.”

 

===

 

_ The next day… _

Somewhere on the Commons’ third level, Sora was anxiously waiting for Lea on a bench under a small flowering tree, tapping his fingers along his walking stick.  His wardrobe today was much different compared to yesterday, mostly because Shiki learned about his meeting with Lea again today - because it most certainly was not a date, but he didn’t tell them it was a training day either - and she wanted to help Aerith get him ready for his not-date.  

Today he wore a light gray tank top underneath a short sleeve denim jacket, high waisted red shorts that showed off a bit too much of his legs in his opinion, both the jacket and shorts fashionably ripped in some places, and simple yellow sandals.  Out of everything he was wearing the only items that were his own were the sandals and his blindfold: everything else belonged to either Shiki or Aerith, which the brunette didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing that his petite physique made it possible for him to wear the girls’ clothes so well.  Other than the smell of the flowers falling around him from the tree, he could also smell camellias and sweet basil from the perfume and lotion his sisters insisted on him wearing. 

He still blushed while thinking about their conversation earlier, when his sisters kept gushing about how Lea asked him out on a date when he denied with a passion that it was one.  Of course, they refused to listen to him and the next thing he knew they were dressing him up in different girl’s clothes like he was a life-sized doll until they found an outfit that they thought was appealing.  Sora desperately wanted to curl up into a ball and hide away his skinny arms and legs, knowing that they looked like twigs when compared to other boys his age, feeling ashamed that he wore such “revealing” clothes.  This is why he always wore clothes that covered him up really well or were several sizes too big for him.

“Hey, Sora!” a male voice called out to him, making the teen smile brightly when he heard them.

“Lea!” he responded, pulling down his blindfold so that he could see the other approaching him.  Lea had decided to dress more casually today compared to his attire from the last few days. Today, he wore a white tank top under a long orange vest, long tan shorts, red sneakers, and a yellow and black checkered scarf around his neck.  “Aren’t you a bit warm with that on?” Sora asked him, indicating his scarf. The redhead chuckled as he moved it around slightly.

“Not really,” he said.  “Fire user, remember? I can control my own body heat.”

“Oh, right!” the brunette said with a smile.

Lea just hoped that the young boy didn’t notice the blush on his cheeks.  Damn Riku and his weird fascination with his neck. He had let the prince do what he wanted with him last night and this morning to make up for lying to him, and as payback Riku had littered his neck in hickies to the point that even Sora would have noticed them.  The only thing he had that could cover the bruises was a scarf that he hadn’t worn much in the last few months.

“You look good yourself,” the older man said with a smile as he checked out Sora’s outfit, making the teen fidget with embarrassment on the spot.  “Did your sisters dress you up?”

“Is it that obvious?” Sora asked with an embarrassed groan, hiding his face in his hands.  “I must look weird to you…”

“Not at all!” Lea said with a chuckle, patting Sora’s head in comfort and to remove several flower petals that had fallen from the tree and landed in his hair.  “You look good. Your sisters did a great job.”

“T-thanks,” the boy stuttered, his cheeks pink from the compliment.  He eventually dropped his hands and looked up at Lea with a smile. “So, what are we doing for lunch today?”

 

===

 

This time Lea took Sora to a small French bistro up on the fifth level, the boys getting a seat by the window while their waiter got them drinks.  The bistro was fairly new, being a part of a small yet popular chain of restaurants that originated in the kingdom of Twilight with the aid of a rich business mogul named Scrooge McDuck, and thus it was quite crowded, Lea needing to reserve a table the day before so they wouldn’t have to wait.  The redhead worried that the crowded bistro would be a bit too much for Sora, but the teen seemed fine since they were seated near the door, giving them a quick escape if he did feel uncomfortable. Luckily, no one seemed interested in Sora. Lea on the other hand was getting some looks, mostly positive and from women, as he seemed to stand out more.

Again, Lea ordered for Sora, and this time he wanted to be surprised with something different.  So, the older man got him  _ quenelle _ * made with pike, and Lea ordered himself  _ coq au vin _ *.  When Sora tasted his dish, his eyes lit up with curiosity and delight.  He’d never eaten anything with fish before, so the tastes were different in a good way.  He forced himself to eat slowly, so he wouldn’t cause a mess and could enjoy the meal more.

“Do you like it?” Lea asked him with a smile as he took a bite of his own meal.  “You never said anything about disliking fish yesterday.”

“I’ve never tried fish before,” Sora said with a smile and a full mouth.  “It’s really good! Wanna taste it?”

“Sure, why not,” Lea said with a chuckle as he cleaned off his spoon, ready to take a scoop of Sora’s dish, only to stare in slight shock when the teen held up his own spoon to him, the utensil holding a small portion of fish and breading.

“Here you go!”

Lea stared at the offered taste with a dusting of pink on his cheeks.  After a moment of awkward silence, Sora began to realize what he had done, and his own face lit up.

“S-sorry about that!” Sora squeaked out in embarrassment, pulling his hand back so that Lea could use his own spoon, but he was stopped halfway.  Lea had taken his hand still holding the spoon, pulled it towards himself and took a bite. Sora’s mouth flapped open and closed like a fish out of water, his face bright red.

“Hey, that is pretty good,” Lea said with a smile.  “Wanna try mine?” He took a scoop of his dish and was about to hand it to Sora.

“I-I can do it myself!” the teen squeaked in embarrassment, making Lea laugh out loud.  

The rest of their meal went about the same, both boys talking about random nonsense until they finished their meals.  When they finished and Lea paid, he also got them eclairs to eat as they walked, one chocolate and the other coffee, both filled with sweet custard that made Sora practically moan in delight.  

As they ate their desserts, they walked along the fifth level and checked out some stores along the bigger roads, avoiding the Plaza in case the city guards or old woman from the day before decided to cause some trouble with them again.  Most of the shops were family run stores mostly specializing in clothing and accessories with the occasional toy store, sweets shop, and liquor store. At one point, Sora started to drool over some taffy he saw in one of the sweet shops, so Lea bought a bag for them to share. Lea had no intention on finishing it, so the brunette could take the rest home.  But he wouldn’t tell him that or else the teen would feel like he needed to pay him back for it.

This went on for a good hour before they started slowing down.  Lea was ready to head to a secluded section in the lower levels until he noticed that the sky started to get cloudy again, and he could hear some faint rumbles in the distance.  Another summer shower was on the way, so it was probably not the best to train with magic today. Lea turned to face the teen, seeing him standing at the window of a small accessory store, looking at something quite intently.

“Something catch your eye?” Lea asked him as he leaned over him, spooking the boy enough to make him jump.  The redhead looked in the window briefly and saw that he was looking at several necklaces on display, the one in front of him baring a charm in the shape of a small crown.

“N-nothing!” Sora gasped in shock, pulling back and away from the window.  “I-I just couldn’t see what was on display and I was trying to get a better look!”

“Whatever you say,” Lea said with a chuckle as he pulled back as well.  “Anyway, it looks like it might rain soon. Any place I can take you to so you can get home faster?”

“You mean we can’t hang out anymore today?” Sora asked with a sad frown, making Lea feel bad for ending their time together early.  “I thought you were going to start my training today?”

“I know, but I don’t want to force you to walk home in the rain,” he said to the teen, patting him on the head, making the brunette huff in annoyance.  “We can start our training tomorrow.”

“Alright…” Sora said with a sigh.  “There is a path I use down on the second level that is close to my home…”

And so, they started heading down towards the lower level, talking about what they could do tomorrow.  Lea wasn’t too sure, but he wanted it to be the most fun Sora would have since the princesses would be arriving in two days.  The amount of free time he had with the teen was limited. That also meant that Lea needed to tell Sora that he wouldn’t be hanging out with him as much after tomorrow.

“So, any place in particular you wanna go for lunch tomorrow?” Lea turned to ask Sora, only to realize that the boy wasn’t with him.  He looked around in confusion. There was no one around so Sora didn’t get lost in a crowd, and even though the back streets of the second level were tight it’s not like one of them got lost.  He looked up and sighed in relief. Sora was still halfway up the flight of stairs they had been walking down, kneeling down to talk to something with a smile.

On the step was a sphynx kitten, trilling happily as Sora scratched its head and made cooing sounds at it.  Sphinxes were common household pets that looked like an average cat at a distance, but upon closer inspection they were shown to be crossed with a bird.  While their bodies were mostly catlike, they had the eyes of a bird and the front of their mouth had a small beak on it, and their forelegs were birdlike with claws and scaly feet past the elbow.  They also had fluffs of feathers on their shoulders that looked like wings but were purely cosmetic. The kitten Sora was talking to had a tortoise pattern to it with splotches of brown, black, and gray, and a small white fluffy mane around its neck, making it a boy.

“Make a new friend?” Lea called up to the boy, making him smile.

“Naw, I’ve seen this little guy around the lower levels before,” Sora said as he pet the kitten along its back.  “There’s a small colony of strays that sometimes wander into the slums, and I feed them dead rats when no one’s looking.”  He patted the kitten a few more times until it gave a small mew before dashing off down the stairs. Sora stood up as he watched the kitten run off, stretching his arms.  “Welp, time to go ho—”

Suddenly as Sora started walking down the steps his sandal caught onto the edge of a broken step, causing him to fall forward.  The boy was so in shock he couldn’t even shout.

“SORA!” Lea cried out at he ran forward to the bottom of the steps and let Sora fall on top of him, taking his full weight as he was forced to the ground.  Both boys had their arms wrapped around each other, Lea’s around Sora’s waist, and Sora’s around Lea’s neck. They stayed still for a moment as their hearts calmed down.  

“You okay?” Lea eventually asked him.

“Y-yeah,” Sora said with a gasp as he struggled slightly to sit up.  “Th-thanks…” 

When he pulled back, the two were just inches away from each other.  From this close, Sora could see that Lea’s eyes were a kind of green color, but he couldn’t tell which kind.

“Were your eyes originally blue?”

“Huh?” Sora asked in confusion.  Lea had a pink tint to his cheeks, which also made Sora blush.  He then began to feel some drips of rain land on his bare arms and legs, but they went ignored.

“You may be blind, but your eyes have the faintest of blue to them,” Lea continued, leaning in a bit closer so he could see better, their foreheads touching now.  He never noticed it before but… Yeah, just at the edges of his eyes, Lea saw a line of bright blue that reminded him of the sky peeking through white clouds—

Then the bell on the castle tower began to toll, echoing across the city.  Lea and Sora quickly pulled back from each other at the sudden sound, faces bright red from their closeness.

The king had returned to the city.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is so much fluff in this story I'm getting sick, lol! But don't worry cuz my hurt/comfort and angst kinks will kick in soon!
> 
> Lux Solis-Occasum = literally means "light of the evening sky" in Latin; Namine and Roxas both needed a cool surname that fits with them, so I started playing around with different word combinations in different languages and came up with this
> 
> quenelle = a dish using creamed meat or fish, breadcrumbs, and eggs as a binding agent; sometimes regarded as a garnish for high cuisine, it can also be considered its own dish in some cases
> 
> coq au vin = (rooster with wine) a dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and garlic
> 
> Also noticed that this chapter is a bit shorter than my other ones, mostly because this is a filler chapter, nothing much happens in it, and most likely because I was sick I couldn't think of what else to add...


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The return of a king, secrets are made, and good things come to an end... for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I am super sorry about another late chapter! Right after I got over my cold and finished chapter 4, I worked 10 days straight at my different jobs, leaving me too tired to write every day. Also I'm changing the update schedule for Sundays, to see how that update time works for me.
> 
> Credit: skyesentinels for being awesome as always

Lea ran as fast as he could up the main road to the palace.  He could hear the king’s regiment behind him, baying steeds coming up the stone road around a hundred yards back.  Luckily, they were at a slow trot, meaning he would get to the palace first to greet them along with the rest of the guard, the queen, and Riku.

He reached the end of the main road and entered the Royal Court, and at the end of the long stretch of road he could see the royal guard lined up along the road to greet the king in their traditional white and gold armor and red capes.  At the entrance of the royal palace, the queen and prince stood underneath the awning so they would not get wet from the light rainfall.  Lea stopped in front of the royal family and took a knee for them, bowing his head in respect.

“Where have you been?” the queen questioned him in slight annoyance, cocking a brow at him.  Both she and Riku were dressed in their royal garments, the queen in her typical white, gray, and silver leather armor, cape draped down her back.  Riku was wearing a long white and gold jacket with a red cape draping off one shoulder over a dark red vest, gray-brown dress pants and black boots.  They also wore their own respective crowns: the queen with her gold tiara with dark red rubies, and Riku with a silver circlet with bright blue sapphires.  “The king will arrive any second and you are not even dressed to greet him.”  She didn’t sound angry, per se, just disappointed.

“My apologies, my Queen,” Lea said, head still bowed as he worked to get his breath and heart in order.  “I was working in the city and lost track of time.  I didn’t realize that the king was returning already.”

“Well, he is back a day early,” Riku said to his mother, who nodded in agreement.  They barely had enough time to dress up as best as they could, both needing help from several servants to get as presentable as they were right now.

“True,” she sighed, rubbing her temple tenderly.  “Oh well.  Just go stand with Riku.”

Lea nodded as he stood up and took his place right behind Riku, glad to be out of the rain so that he could use the edge of his scarf to wipe off the rain and sweat on his brow, trying to look slightly more presentable.  He could hear a snicker not far away and glared at his brother.  Reno was dressed in his custom lieutenant armor consisting of black pants and shirt, a long white and red jacket, and white gold armor plating on his chest, shoulders, and shins, the one on his chest baring the royal crest.

Lea was ready to give him a rude gesture, but he froze, along with his brother when they heard an “ _ ahem _ ” from next to Reno.  The lieutenant-commander, a scary woman who only went by ‘Lightning,’ gave them both an intense glare that screamed at them to shut up and look sharp.  She was only a year older than Lea, but she already held a position that nearly rivaled his own from all she’s done for the kingdom and the royal family, and for the work she’s done back in her home country.  She wore her own custom white gold-plated armor that protected her chest, legs, arms and shoulders while revealing some skin on her thighs and upper arms, and a skirt of white feathers trailed behind her.  With her graceful armor and intimidating personality, it was no wonder she was given the title “the Knight of Valhalla.”

Everyone stood at attention when a horn sounded, and just down the road several knights entered the Royal Court and approached the palace, all being led by a man clad in white on the back of a large steed.  They all came in on the backs of bayards, great horse-like steeds standing at over 6 feet at the withers with long curved horns, deadly fangs and sharp clawed feet. The bayards came to a slow walk upon reaching the palace with the king’s steed stopping right at the steps.  The king dismounted his steed Hengroen, a stable hand taking the reins, while the king approached his wife and son with a serious look, not at all bothered by the light rainfall that left his hair and clothes damp.

King Ravus Nox Fleuret was a serious and a bit of an intimidating king based on appearance alone.  His platinum blonde hair that Riku inherited exactly was slicked back and hung down past his chin, giving him a slight widows peak, framing his sharp features nicely.  He wore a long white jacket with black trimming and silver clasps, thick black leather belts holding it closed at the waist, and he had on dark gray pants underneath and black knee-high leather boots with dark metal shin guards.  On his waist was a long silver blade with a wing design along the handle and clock like emblem at the base, a gift given to him from the king of Lucis when Riku was born.  He reached the top of the steps and stopped just feet away from them.  Aranea and Riku both bowed their heads to him while Lea, Reno, Lightning, and Emma who stood near the queen all took a knee for him, heads down in respect.

“Welcome home, my King,” they all said in union, the king nodding his head to them all.  When Aranea looked up she was smiling, as was Ravus.  Soon they were in each other’s arms, kissing each other lovingly on the lips.  Riku made a retching sound behind them, which he quickly stopped with a giggle when Lea stood up and smacked the prince across the head, trying to be serious but holding back a smile as well.  Ravus pulled back and gave the two boys an amused look, especially Lea’s attire.

“Did I interrupt your free time, Lea?” the king asked the redhead knight, indicating his casual outfit.

“No, my King,” Lea said with a bowed head, cheeks slightly red as Riku snickered.  “Your sudden arrival was just unexpected.”

“Yes, the voyage was a quick one,” the king said with a nod.  “Sorry for the surprise.  Now, let us all sit down for dinner.  I want to know how everyone was while I was away.”

===

Later, the dining room of the royal family was much livelier than it usually was.  Over the past few weeks, Riku and Aranea would eat quietly or dinner would end early after they would have an argument, but with the king there they were able to hold interesting conversations.  While the royal family ate their dinner, Lea stood by Riku, Emma by Aranea, and Ravus’ aid Tsung by the king.

While they were eating Ravus, had some servants bring in the gifts he had brought from Tenebrae.  For Aranea, he had a small tray of sylleblossom buds for her to plant in the garden, and for Riku he gave him an elegant silver and blue dagger that had the Tenebrae crest imprinted on the blade with glittering blue and green jewels embedded into the hilt.  He even had a gift for Lea as thanks for a year of service and protection for Riku in the form of an elegant dark red tunic lined with silver and gold thread, creating designs that looked like flames.  Lea was beyond thankful to the king, and no one paid any mind how Riku ogled him when his guard held the tunic up to his chest to see what it looked like.

However, the dinner was not guaranteed to end as perfectly as it started.  They had finished their main dish of their Italian full course meal and were being served small plates of panna cotta* when  _ it  _ was brought up.

“Have you received any responses from the princesses?” the king asked his wife as he had a sip of his coffee.  Riku froze with his spoon halfway to his mouth, and Lea gave him a worried side-glance.  Ravus ignored him for the time being while Aranea nodded.

“The princess of Radiant Garden will be arriving within two days, along with the princess and prince of Twilight,” she said as she took a scoop of her dessert.  “I have yet to receive a response from any of the Disney kingdoms, but they are further away.”

“Let’s give them a few more days before sending another message,” Ravus said to Tsung, who nodded as he pulled out a pad and took some notes.  They continued to eat their desserts, but Riku just stared at his plate, pushing the fruit garnish around with an annoyed look.  After a moment, Ravus turned to look at Riku.  “Is there a problem?”

“What’s with the sudden announcement of the princesses?” Riku asked his father, finally taking a bite of his dessert.  “Usually you talk to me about it first.  Not just drop it on me like how mother did.” Aranea gave a small nod in agreement as she drank her coffee, feeling bad now at the way she told him just days ago.  Ravus gave a small sigh.

“I apologize for the sudden decision,” he said.  “But it’s almost completely out of my hands.  I received word that the princesses of Ireland and Corona both turned 18 recently and are now eligible to marry, however the princess of Agrabah has also become engaged.  Your grandmother and parliament both encouraged me to make the decision.”

“More like forced your hand,” Riku grumbled under his breath as he ate some of his fruit, propping his head on his hand on the table.  At least he would get to see his friend Merida again, who he knew was just as interested in marriage as he was for entirely different reasons.  Rapunzel of Corona was a bit of an enigma, having lived in isolation nearly her entire life.  Something about magic healing hair or something. Jasmine of Agrabah was a nice girl, but according to the princess he wasn’t her type, which he could care less.

“I know you have no interest in marrying for whatever reason,” Ravus said with a sad smile.  “But you must know that your grandmother just wants to have great grandchildren before she dies—”

“No, the nobility just wants to prove they still have control over you by making me marry,” Riku said angrily.  The room went deathly silent except for the scrapping of Riku’s spoon on his plate.

“Riku…” Aranea said with an annoyed growl, ready to start another argument with her son, but was stopped when Ravus placed a hand on her own, calming her down quickly.  He was one of few people who was unaffected by Riku’s temper tantrums, the other being Lea. 

“I understand that you’re upset,” the king said as he looked to his son calmly.  “But my hands are tied.  There’s nothing else I can do.”

“Yes, there is!” Riku protested as he gave his father a pleading look.  “Just stick to traditions and let me choose when I’m ready.  I won’t officially be forced to marry until I’m 21 anyway, but it was always tradition to have the prince or princess start to look for a fiancé when they were an adult at 18.  I still have at least a few more months!”

“I know, and I very much would love to stick to our traditions,” Ravus said as he took another sip of coffee.  “But parliament has urged that you marry – or at least pick a bride – sooner rather than later.  At least until the assassins have been detained.  And quite frankly, I agree with them.”

“But—” Riku tried to protest again, but the look his father gave him silenced him.

“Riku, you are the crowned prince of Scala ad Caelum.  The  _ only _ crowned prince.  Your mother cannot bear any more children, so the future of the city and her people rests on your shoulders.  Now, you can either enjoy the rest of dinner with your family, or you can turn in for the night.”

Riku just stared at his father with a mix of anger and hurt.  He hated when his father brought up the fact that he was an only child and his mother couldn’t bare him any brothers or sisters.  She had gone through multiple devastating miscarriages before he was born, and even then he nearly died in the womb due to complications.  The healers had saved him by forcing a premature birth at the cost of his mother becoming sterile.

Everyone remained silent for several minutes, Lea still giving Riku a worried look while the king and queen continued to eat their desserts. 

“I’m not hungry anymore,” Riku grumbled as he dropped his spoon onto the table, stood up and left the dining room.  He didn’t storm off like he usually did when he was upset, but it was obvious from his slumped figure that he was not happy.  As he walked out, Lea bowed to the king and queen with a soft apology before grabbing their gifts and following the prince to his room.

Ravus let out a long sigh as he ran a hand down his face, Aranea giving him a sad frown.  “Why do I feel like the bad guy, dear?” he asked his wife.

“Now you know how I felt when I told him that the princesses were coming to the city again,” she responded with no flare of sass like she usually did.  They both felt equally bad about the situation as they both knew that Riku wasn’t interested in marriage.  Or at least marrying a princess.

“Maybe I should pass a law that allows the crowned prince or princess to marry whoever they want?” Ravus said with a small smile.  “The sultan of Agrabah did that when he learned his daughter was in love with a peasant.”

“But he doesn’t have a strict parliament to veto the law, and his royal vizier was imprisoned after attempting a coup,” Aranea commented with an annoyed sigh as she sipped her drink.  “You could just disband the parliament, maybe assign new members.”

“What?  And risk retaliation from the current members and their families?  Maybe them demanding a new king because I’m ‘unfit’ or ‘biased?’” Ravus said with a slight roll of his eyes.  “Most of the nobility have lived in the city long before I became king.  I do not want to risk possible mutiny like the War of Departure…”

===

_ Later that night… _

In Riku’s bedroom, the prince was lying face down on his bed, hugging one of his pillows as he silently moped.  He had changed out of his royal attire and left it strewn across the floor for one of the maids to pick up, now wearing more comfortable clothes consisting of a sleeveless light-gray shirt with skull designs along the bottom and dark gray sweatpants that ended halfway down his calves.  Lea sat quietly at the foot of the bed, watching the prince who stayed silent as a maid came in delivering a tray of tea and sweet cakes – most likely a peace offering from his parents – and collected his clothes from the floor.  The room stayed relatively silent for a while before Lea sighed with frustration and checked on the tea placed on the prince’s desk, the water having gone cold.

“You can’t just keep moping in bed all night,” Lea said as he looked over the different teas and accent ingredients to choose from.  He saw a few he recognized and gave a small smile.  He went to work putting a drink together for the prince, who had ignored him and was still face down on his bed.  After putting all the ingredients into the pot, Lea placed a hand on it and the water inside quickly began to boil.  Soon the room was filled with the scent of cinnamon and peppermint.  Riku turned slightly to look at Lea as his guard poured some tea into a cup. He then brought the tea and a small plate with a tiny cake snack on it to the prince, holding them out to him with a smile.  Eventually Riku sat up in the bed, back to the headboard and most of his pillows.  He took the cup and took in a breath before taking a small sip, sighing with content at the flavors. 

Lea had made him fireball tea, the redhead’s favorite that quickly became Riku’s favorite as well after he had been offered it when he was sick a while back.  He could taste the strong taste of the black, cinnamon, and peppermint tea, but his sinuses were struck with the scent of peppercorn, ginger, and cardamom.  It had a slight spicy kick, but he noticed that Lea had mellowed it down by adding a small amount of honey and milk.  A smile crept onto his face as he took another small sip of the tea, making Lea give a small sigh of relief now that the prince was happier. The redhead placed the small cake plate onto the night stand near Riku and turned to leave but was stopped when Riku grabbed his vest.

“Sit with me?”

That wasn’t an order.  It was a request.

Lea gave him a smile and climbed into the bed with him after removing his shoes and vest, sitting right next to Riku as he rested his head on his shoulder, finishing his tea.  Once he was done, Lea moved the cup to the night stand, but after that they remained silent.  It lasted for a few moments until Riku looked up at Lea and suddenly pulled off his scarf, revealing his bruised neck underneath.  The redhead gave the prince a sidelong look as he leaned in and lightly kissed Lea’s neck, making the older man chuckle softly when the silver bangs tickled his skin slightly.

“Sorry… I went a bit overboard this morning,” he said softly as he pressed his face into Lea’s shoulder.  Lea cocked an eyebrow at that since Riku almost never apologized for any of the hickies he had given him in the past, and in fact was usually the one to bring them up in front of others to tease him and to spite his parents.  Maybe what the king said earlier struck a nerve and now the prince was starting to feel guilty for his behavior, and that was bleeding in to their earlier “activities.”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Lea said with a small smile as he patted Riku on his head.  “It’s not like I didn’t enjoy it.  And besides, you’re the prince, so—”

“That shouldn’t be an excuse,” Riku grumbled as he pulled Lea down, forcing him to lay down parallel to the bed along with him, turning so that they were looking directly at each other.  From here, Lea could see that Riku was upset in a way he rarely saw, lips in a sad pout and brow furrowed.  “Next time if I start to go too far, stop me. Please.”

“Whatever you say, Your Highness,” Lea said as he kissed Riku on the forehead before pulling him into a hug, the prince hugging him back tightly, sniffling slightly.  Lea just hoped that Riku wouldn’t start crying: he had only ever seen Riku cry back when he had a terrible fever and even then seeing him in such distress broke his heart.

Then Riku pulled back with a confused look before gripping Lea’s shirt and giving it another sniff.

“Sorry, does it smell bad?” Lea asked him with a chuckle.  “I’ll go change into something cleaner and more comfortable.”  He pulled out of Riku’s hold, giving him another peck on the lips before leaving the prince’s room to go change in his own, the silver haired teen watching him go in amused confusion.

“Why did his shirt smell like camellias?”

===

_ The next day… _

A beeping sound echoed through the room at around dawn, waking Lea and stirring Riku from his sleep with a groggy groan.  Lea had changed into a white tank top and thin black sweatpants last night after taking a quick shower, then rejoined Riku in his room who had started reading one of his comics while waiting for the older man.  They didn’t do anything sexual – a first for the prince after having an argument with his parents – and instead just kissed and cuddled for a bit before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

That was also how they both woke up that morning with Lea’s spikes now loose and hanging down in front of his eyes and Riku’s short hair a crazy mess.  He glared at Lea when he saw his lover picking up his gummiphone from the nightstand and turning off the alarm, seeing that it was 6:30 in the morning.

“Why did you set it for so early?” Riku grumbled as he pulled Lea back against him and pressed his face against his chest.  “Breakfast isn’t until 8.  Go back to sleep.”

“Sorry, but I’ve got stuff to do,” Lea said with a sigh as he pulled himself out of Riku’s grasp, making the prince groan in frustration.  “Remember about the thing I’ve been keeping secret from you?”  When Lea mentioned that, Riku blinked up at him in recognition as he indeed remembered that.  “Well, since the princesses will be arriving tomorrow and I was given a deadline by your mother, today is my last free day in the city for a while.  I need to make proper preparations in the city, which means I need to get up early.  At least for today.”

Riku didn’t like that Lea was going to be apart from him for another day but accepted the excuse.  And like he said, it was only for today.  By tomorrow, he would be all his again.

“Fine,” he mumbled as he gripped Lea’s shirt, pulling him down and kissing him on the lips before collapsing onto his nest of pillows again.  “Be safe…”  And within a few minutes, the prince was asleep again. Lea couldn’t blame him since it did take him awhile to fall asleep last night.  That, and the tea he gave the prince had a  _ pretty _ high amount of caffeine in it. 

Lea left the prince’s room as quietly as he could and made his way to his own room, which was just two rooms down the hall from Riku’s.  The king had wanted Lea to stay as close to the prince as possible after becoming his kingsguard, so he had given him his own room close to Riku’s that wasn’t nearly as big as the prince’s but was able to accommodate the guard just fine.  All that was in the room – which was pretty much the same color scheme as Riku’s minus the blue and green curtains and furniture – was a double bed with red sheets, a bathroom with a shower and bathtub with a small walk-in closet connected to it, a small cream leather couch, and wooden desk with a chair.  There were also windows along one of the walls, but he had no balcony, which was fine with him.  It pretty much reminded an average person of a large master bedroom seen in a normal house, but to the royal family he was living in one of the many guest bedrooms they kept in the palace.

He entered his bathroom where he washed his face to help him wake up, brushed his teeth and hair – applying hair spray and gel where it was needed to hold his spikes – then started going through his wardrobe deciding on what to wear.  He had checked the weather on his phone and saw that it was projected to be bright, sunny, and pretty warm today since it was reaching the later parts of summer, and thus the hotter parts of it.  At least they didn’t get 100-degree summers like parts of Disney and Eos did.  Most of his wardrobe consisted of black and leather, which would turn into sweat suits within an hour when it reached noon – even with his ability to control his body temperature, if it was too warm he would still sweat – so it took him a bit to look for something better suited to the weather.  He eventually found something acceptable in the form of a lightweight white and red sleeveless hoodie that managed to cover up his mostly recovered bruises, tan ankle cuff joggers, and dark red, black, and white high-top sneakers.  He also made sure to wear his black gloves to block his fire magic.

Now that he was ready to head out, Lea checked the time again and saw that it was just a little after 7 am.  That store he wanted to get to before meeting up with Sora would open at 7:30, it would take him about 15-20 minutes to get there by walking once he left the Royal Court, and he had wanted to take Sora out to breakfast as an apology for ending their time together early yesterday, so they were meeting at eight.  He grabbed his wallet and kingsguard crest before rushing out of his room.

===

_ Down in the Commons… _

Sora walked along one of the larger roads of the third level towards the meeting point he was to meet Lea at, tapping his walking stick in front of him so he didn’t walk into anything or anyone.  Luckily because he was cleaned up again thanks to his sisters, no one who was out at that time called out to him or treated him badly like they would with anyone from the slums.  Instead they got out of the way, so they wouldn’t collide or even apologized to him if they accidently bumped into him. 

Today he was wearing all Shiki’s clothes, consisting of a dark blue tank top that was short enough to expose some of his stomach under the short-sleeved denim jacket from the day before, blue denim shorts that came to just above his knees, and his old black sneakers.  His sisters had wanted him to wear nicer shoes since his didn’t quite match with his outfit, but he came up with some random excuse that they were more comfortable to walk around in before rushing out of the slums, not wanting them to know that today was to be his first day of magic training.  However, before he could leave the house Aerith had managed to spritz him with another one of her perfumes that she received as a gift from a client that smelled of lilacs.  The brunette didn’t know why his older sister wanted him to wear ladies’ perfume so much. Why not cologne like Cloud or Leon he had asked her, but Aerith had refused to let him wear cologne, stating that it wouldn’t “match with him.”  That, and his brothers didn’t feel like sharing.

Sora noticed that it was starting to get quieter as he kept walking, either less people were in the area or he had wandered off to a more secluded location on accident.  He tried slipping off his blindfold to see where he was at, only to hiss in annoyance when the bright light of the sun blinded him.  He hated bright sunny days ever since he went blind.  Even so, he missed seeing the sky.

“Sora!”

The teen looked around when he heard Lea calling out his name, wondering where he was.  He jumped slightly when he felt a hand on his shoulder, then a familiar gloved hand slipped into his own, making him smile.

“Sorry I’m late, Lea,” Sora said with a smile, missing Lea shake his head with a chuckle.

“You were on time.  I got here a bit early.”  Sora cocked his head in confusion as Lea took his hand and started to guide him away.  “Let’s go get breakfast.  I need to talk to you about something.”

===

They decided to have breakfast at the same bistro they had lunch at a few days back, eating their food at a small outdoor table that was heavily shaded by a large tree.  Lea got a small bowl of scrambled eggs with salmon with a side of buttered toast and fruit, and Sora got cinnamon French toast garnished with strawberries and bananas and a small blueberry muffin on the side, both meals coming with a cup of orange juice.  Lea waited until they were both halfway through their meals before he started talking.

“What?!  We can’t do my training today?!” Sora gasped in depressed shock, almost dropping his muffin.  Lea gave him a sad sigh before he continued.

“I was only given a short amount of free time out of the palace, and today is my last day before I have to remain in the palace,” he told the teen who continued to frown.  “Believe me, I would love to hang out with you more, Sora, but my role in the palace is pretty important.  Remember?” Sora nodded, remembering that he was a kingsguard. “Also, with the king back and the princesses arriving tomorrow, I have to resume my duties.  Maybe in a few days I’ll be free again, then we can hang out and then I can start your training, but it might be a few weeks.  I can’t even stay out for as long as we usually would since I’m needed at the palace.” Sora’s frown seemed to get bigger at that and he slumped in his chair a bit, eating slowly.  Even though he was sad he couldn’t do his training today, what was worse was the idea that he won’t get to see Lea for a while.

“But listen, maybe I can make it up to you in a small way,” Lea added with a smile, making Sora cock a brow in confusion.

===

After they had breakfast, Lea took Sora’s hand and guided him along the level until they reached a secluded area under a large tree, hardly anyone around as it was so quiet except for the occasionally bird chirp.  Lea told Sora to sit down on a bench and wait for him to return, and so he did, patiently counting the seconds in his head.  After about five minutes, Lea returned, the brunette sensing the man taking a seat on the bench next to him.

“Here,” he said as he slipped something into Sora’s hand.  The boy didn’t know what it was since he had his blindfold on, so he set his walking stick off to the side and removed the blindfold to see what Lea gave him.

It was a stick of sea salt ice cream.

“Thought you might want one,” Lea said with a smile as he watched Sora lick the salty sweet ice cream with a bright smile.  The boy nodded happily, until he noticed that Lea didn’t have one for himself.

“What about you?” he asked him curiously.  Lea just shrugged at that, which made Sora frown again.  So, he held up the ice cream to Lea.  “Want some?” Lea couldn’t help but chuckle as he leaned down and took a small bite from the ice cream, making Sora smile before he went back to eating it.  Lea watched Sora eat the ice cream for a moment before he turned to look down at a small box he pulled out of his pocket, fiddling with the string that kept the lid on.

“What’s that?”

Lea looked up when he saw Sora looking down at the box he was holding, nearly done with his ice cream.

“Finish your snack first and I’ll tell you,” Lea said with a smirk.  Now intrigued, Sora quickly ate the rest of the ice cream, giving a full body shudder when he got a slight brain freeze from eating it too fast.  Lea chuckled when he saw that, making the teen pout at him.  “Good work,” Lea snickered at him. “Guess I should tell you now then.”

“So, what is it?” Sora asked in excitement.  He stared as the box was placed in his hand, Lea taking the ice cream stick in exchange.

“It’s a gift for you.  An apology for not being able to train today.”

Sora felt his heart swell up slightly as he slowly opened the box, removing the string and then the lid.  When he looked inside, he gave a small gasp at the gift.

On a silver chain was the silver crown charm he saw at the accessory shop the day before.  He thought he had been careful to not show too much interest in the gift when Lea caught him staring, not wanting to come off as asking for it or even begging.  But he couldn’t help but be drawn to the charm out of everything that had been on display at the time.

“I-I can’t accept this,” Sora said with a stutter, handing the gift back to Lea.  The redhead could see that Sora’s hand was shaking slightly, so he took it in his own, helping him calm down slightly.  However, instead of taking the gift back he pulled out the necklace, undoing the clasp, and slipped behind Sora’s head to put it back together, letting the charm hang around his neck.

“I want you to have it,” Lea said with a soft smile, patting Sora on the head.  “No matter how much you try to return it I won’t take it back.  And while I want you to keep it, if you need to sell it to support your family I won’t mind—”  But before he could finish, Sora threw his arms around Lea, hugging him tightly as he buried his face into the other’s chest.

“I-I’ll never sell it!” Sora gasped, sniffling hard into Lea’s chest.  The redhead could feel his shirt slowly grow damp from Sora’s tears.  “I’ll t-treasure it forever and ever!”  Lea returned the hug as he continued to pat the boy on his head, soothing him calmly and slowly, letting the boy cry into his chest.  Eventually Sora pulled back and looked up at Lea, cheeks and eyes red and tears running down his face.  “B-but why? Why are you s-so nice to me?”

“I’m not really sure myself,” Lea said now that he thought about it.  He didn’t know why he was treating Sora so nicely other than the fact that he was a sweet kid who deserved to be treated well.  At first, it might have been out of pity since he was just a blind orphaned boy with nothing to eat.  But after that first day? “I guess I just felt like it…”

That was when Lea realized that Sora’s face was getting closer to his own, like he was about to kiss him.  He sucked in a breath of shock, his cheeks turning red, arms growing warm.  Sora noticed the sudden warmth and blinked in confusion, only to realize what he was doing.  He pulled back just as suddenly as he had made his first move, his own cheeks dark red from embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry!” the teen nearly shouted in shock as he jumped up from the bench and turned to run away, until he was suddenly face down on the ground with a cry of pain.  Lea rushed to his side and helped him up.  He saw that one of Sora’s sneakers’ shoelaces had come undone and that he must have stepped on it, causing him to fall.

“Are you okay?” Lea asked him in worry, turning Sora to face him and look him over for any serious injuries.  Thankfully he saw no blood on the boy, just some scrapes on his hands, knees and elbows.  What he did notice was that Sora refused to look him in the eye, face still red and tears starting to build up.  “Do you hurt anywhere?” Lea asked him, wondering if he was hurt someplace not visible. Sora shook his head no, but still refused to look up at him.  He must be so embarrassed at what he had done.

“I-I don’t know why I did that…” Sora mumbled softly, but still loud enough for Lea to hear him.  The teen didn’t know why he wanted to kiss the other man.  He had a crush on “R” for goodness sake!  But he also liked Lea. Was it the same kind of like that he had for “R?” What was his like for “R” then? Platonic?  Romantic? It was all so confusing, and it just frustrated the boy even more.

“I should probably apologize, too, then,” Lea said, rubbing the back of his neck after he helped Sora stand up.  “While I appreciate your feelings, I… already have someone…”

Sora felt his heart constrict in pain from hearing that.  Of course, someone as amazing as Lea already had someone he liked, that was no shock.  But that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt hearing him say as much.  Even then, it’s not like the kingsguard would want to date a slum rat like him—

“Stop that.”

Sora looked up in shock when Lea gripped his shoulders tightly, gaining his attention with a serious look.

“You were degrading yourself again,” Lea stated, making Sora blush again for a different reason.  “You may not have been vocal about it, but I can tell from your expression you were thinking it.  It’s the same you always have when talking bad about yourself.  So, stop thinking that way.” He then pulled back and nervously scratched at his chin, blushing lightly. “And besides, it’s not like I wouldn’t have fallen for you at a different time under different circumstances…”

“O-oh…”

Now they both just stood there, looking at their feet in embarrassment.  They must have stood there for some time as after a while Lea could hear the clock tower in the distance chime that it was now noon.  Pretty soon, the streets would be full of working adults out to lunch.

“Let me take you home,” Lea said as he took Sora’s hand, only to quickly pull away with a soft “sorry,” worried that the teenager would feel awkward holding his hand now.  Sora seemed to hesitate for a moment before he reached out and took Lea’s hand in his own again.  The redhead looked down at their joined hands with a small smile, which also made Sora smile in return.

===

Lea guided Sora to one of the few entrances into the slums on the second level of the Commons, their hands joined the entire way there.  This entrance wasn’t like the usual manhole entrances that Sora’s siblings often took, but an actual doorway leading to a narrow flight of stairs hidden away in a dark alley near one of the tanneries, the air thick with the smell of old garbage, limewater, and sulfur.  When they reached the door, Sora looked up at Lea with a small smile.

“Thank you for today,” Sora said softly, placing a hand over his gift, which was now hidden under his shirt.  He didn’t want anyone in the slums to see the necklace and try and steal it before he got home.

“Sorry about canceling your training again,” Lea said, patting Sora on the head, making the teen blush slightly.  “Maybe one day I can properly train you, or better yet, introduce you to a proper teacher.” Sora stiffened slightly at the idea of meeting another light user: would they judge him for being a slum rat, or force him to pay for their services, or report him—

“Stop.  Berating.  Yourself,” Lea said with a frown, pinching Sora’s cheeks to draw him out of that thought process again, making the boy squeak.  The redhead chuckled as he watched Sora’s expression soften up a bit, then dropped his hands to the boy’s shoulders. “And I want to apologize again about earlier.  Even though I cannot return your feelings, I want us to stay as friends, as long as you are okay with it.”

“Of course, I want us to stay friends!” Sora said quickly, looking up at Lea with an almost regretful expression.  “I should be sorry for what I did earlier. It’s my fault it got so awkward before.” He then leaned forward and gave Lea a hug, the taller man wrapping his arms around him in return.  “I just don’t want you to hate me or think less of me for what I did…”

“I could never hate you, Sora,” Lea said softly with a smile.  When he looked down at Sora’s soft brown spikes, he almost wanted to kiss them to reassure the boy that everything was okay.  He had to hold back the urge until they eventually parted from each other. “See you again someday?”

“I’ll be waiting under the tree,” Sora said with a smile brighter than the sun, before turning and walking down into the darkness of the slums.

===

 

_ Later at the palace… _

Riku groaned as he collapsed onto one of the couches in his sitting room, raising his feet into the air so the maid could remove his boots.  The prince had been excused from taking any lessons today but instead had to work with his parents in preparation of the princesses arriving the next day, from getting fitted for new outfits to picking out tableware for when they join the royal family for dinners.  While the chef prepared for dinner that night, Riku was given some free time for himself, which was where they were now. Lea sat down on the other couch silently, mind still wandering from what happened between him and Sora earlier that day.

“Geez!  What does it matter if a princess would want to drink their water from glass or crystal cups?” Riku griped as he pulled off his suit jacket and threw it over the back of the couch, the maid rushing to grab it so it could be washed.  “And the napkins? How is there a difference between egg shell and ivory, or pearl and cotton? They all look like the same goddamn color!” When he didn’t get a response from his guard, he turned his head and looked at Lea, who seemed to be staring off at nothing in particular.  Was he even paying attention? “Maybe I’ll just wear rainbow clothes when we greet them tomorrow,” Riku said in a serious tone, making the maid giggle softly in the background but he ignored her. Lea just seemed to nod in agreement, not paying attention at all. This annoyed the prince, so he grabbed one of the pillows from the couch and threw it at Lea, hitting him in the side of the head with perfect accuracy.

“What?  What??” Lea shouted in shock when he was hit with the pillow, looking around in confusion.  The maid giggled again, but instantly went silent when Riku waved her away, at which she bowed and left the room.  Once she was gone, Riku rose from the couch and stood in front of Lea, who still looked confused. “What’s going on?”

“So, you weren’t paying attention then,” Riku said as he leaned towards the redhead, placing his hands on the back of the couch so he was over Lea.  “What’s so important that you weren’t paying attention to me?”

“Nothing, just a long day,” Lea said rather quickly, feeling guilty about not paying attention to the prince but also too afraid to admit right away that he was too preoccupied to pay attention.  Riku noticed this and glared at his guard as he climbed onto his lap, knees on either side of him, trapping him on the couch. “Is something wrong, Your Highness?” Riku then grabbed the collar of Lea’s shirt, pulled it up and sniffed at it.  “Does it stink again? Sorry, it was a bit hot out so I might have sweated a bit—”

“Lilacs.”

“Huh?”  Lea looked up at the prince in confusion as he pulled back from his shirt with a glare.

“Today you smell like lilacs.  Yesterday it was camellias.”

“Well, there are a few gardens in the Grand Quarter and on the upper levels,” Lea said, thinking back on where he had walked around yesterday and today that could have resulted in the scents attaching to his clothes.  “Maybe the pollens attached to me while I—”

“I asked some of the maids about it earlier,” Riku said, interrupting the redhead as his hands moved to grip Lea’s arms tightly enough to make him wince in pain.  “They told me about a popular line of perfumes that smell like flowers that are all the rage among the women in the city right now. One of them was camellias, and another just so happens to be lilacs…”

Lea flinched at that as several things came to mind.  One of them being the perfumes as an explanation as to why Sora had smelled like a garden the last few times he had seen him.  The other being that unless Lea told Riku why he had women’s perfume on his clothes…

“Lea...” 

The kingsguard felt a cold sweat form on his forehead and a chill run down his spine as tendrils of darkness wrapped around him, the prince’s eyes turning amber.

“Are you cheating on me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was suppose to be a short chapter... why is it over 7k words???

**Author's Note:**

> This is probably going to be the start of many very long chapters. Already the first chapter has over 7,000 words, holy crap! Please leave a comment and kudos if you like it.


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